Matters of the Heart or the Heartless
by Sesshoumarus-Woman
Summary: After leaving InuYasha, Kagome travels with Sesshomaru and she begins to melt the ice around his heart. Soon, they start a family and five years later, Kagome takes the kids to see modern Japan but ... somethings not right ...
1. The Beginning

Matters of the Heart or the Heartless

Chapter One

A/N: Alright … Sesshomaru and Kagome is now my favorite pairing and after starting to get bored with my other fan fictions (as I seem to do easily –sigh-) I decided that I'd write one myself! Something that bugs me is that in every one of the stories, it always takes him FOREVER to realize his feelings for her and I know that it's like in his personality or whatever but it drives me bonkers! Anyway … I'll try to keep in personality but … I'll just have to make the realization quicker!

Sesshomaru was staring down at his half brother in boredom as he went on about touching 'his' Kagome. He rolled his eyes a little, resisting the urge to sigh.

"InuYasha," Sesshomaru snapped. The hanyou's head whipped to face him as he drew Tetsusaiga

"Why do you call the human wench yours?" Sesshomaru queried, mostly out of boredom. At least that's what he told himself. Lately, he hasn't been able to think of much else but the miko before him. It didn't help that the wench had put a subduing necklace around him also. For whatever reason was beyond him at the moment, he missed the wench saying that cursed word, sending him face down into the dirt.

InuYasha's ears twitched and he growled fiercely. "Why do you care? She's mine and no one else's!" Kagome sighed a little, massaging her temples. Lately Sesshomaru had been coming around more often, getting InuYasha's back up even more. It was sweet sometimes how InuYasha always referred to her as 'his' but mostly it was just annoying, since she didn't have those specific feelings for him. She knew as well that the only reason he was with her was because she could see the shards and because she was Kikyo's reincarnation.

"InuYasha … sit boy!" Thump! InuYasha fell face first into the ground. "InuYasha, how many times do I have tell you, I DON'T belong to you!" Sesshomaru allowed himself a quick and quiet chuckle and a smirk, in which the human wench caught.

"And you! Down!" Thump! Sesshomaru was also sent into the ground, face first. "Now, if no one minds, I am going to go have a bath!" Grabbing her yellow backpack, Kagome stomped towards the spring.

Kagome sighed a little as she climbed into the hot water, letting it warm her up nicely. _Those bakas! I don't belong to anyone and I certainly don't belong to InuYasha! _

She didn't notice for a few minutes, that someone was standing behind her. The hairs on the back of her neck rose and she was instantly pulled from the water and a hand came over her mouth.

She was met with golden eyes that held a hint of anger. Once her mouth was released, she stopped herself from uttering the word as a beautiful white kimono shirt came around her shoulders and she wrapped it around her naked body, blushing a little.

"Do you wish to rid yourself of my half brother?" Kagome looked at his golden eyes. The anger in them seemed to have subsided and there was something unreadable in them. Slowly, she nodded a little.

"Hai, I do." Sesshomaru gave a nod and then the large and very attractive taiyoukai of the west stepped up to her, closing the distance that was between them and slowly put a piece of hair behind her ear. Just as he had done it, he bristled and stepped back.

"I will come for you." With that, he took off, seeming to be in some sort of huff. Kagome blinked and blushed a little and looked down at the kimono shirt he had given her and she gently pulled it closer around him. Her heart was beating insanely and the only thing she could think about was what she had thought just a few seconds ago; I hope he kisses me …

A/N: Hi again! I hope ya'll like it. I tried to keep everyone in character as much as possible. I realize I left ya'll with a sort of cliffy … BUT … don't fear! You'll find out what happens soon enough! –Laughs evilly-

Disclaimer: We all get the point … no one really owns InuYasha except, obviously, for the person who does!


	2. Sesshomaru's Deal

Chapter Two

The Deal With Sesshomaru

Kagome finished with her bath and when she was packing; she had managed to calmly explain her situation. For some reason, they understood her desire to leave the insensitive hanyou behind. Now, they were sitting by the fire with an upset Shippo in her lap.

"But Kagome, how do you know it's safe? How can you know that he won't hurt you? I'll miss you so much." He wailed and Kagome quickly quieted him.

"I know, Shippo but, it's better than being around InuYasha with all he ever thinks about is his stupid jewel shards and Kikyo." She said the last part rather sadly, earning a concerned look from Sango and Miroku.

"Shippo-chan does have a point, Kagome-san." Miroku said slowly, not wanting to anger the miko or cause her pain. Kagome looked over at her friends and nodded a little.

"I know, but something is telling me to just trust him. I know it sounds weird but … my instincts haven't been wrong yet." Slowly, they nodded and Shippo looked up and let out a squeak as he hurried over to Sango and Miroku. They, apparently, had noticed the demon lord standing over Kagome as well.

Kagome got up, picking up her big yellow backpack and just as she was about to say something, InuYasha noticed him and jumped in front of her. "Sesshomaru … " He growled menacingly.

Sesshomaru just rolled his eyes. "Are you coming, miko?" Kagome nodded, walking around InuYasha and standing next to him. InuYasha's mouth fell open and then he took out his sword.

"What have you done to Kagome, you bastard!" Kagome just sighed a little.

"InuYasha, sit." Thump! Kagome looked up at Sesshomaru and he nodded a little, putting an arm around Kagome's waist as a solid yet fluffy cloud appeared underneath them and began lifting them up.

InuYasha recovered quickly and tried to swipe at them but all he got was air and soon, they had disappeared into the night. After a long while of unnerving silence, Kagome finally couldn't stand it anymore. Why was he always so quiet?

"Um … Sesshomaru?" She said quietly. The demon lord didn't move an inch but shifted his eyes to her, letting them linger for a few seconds before looking away, indicating that he had heard her.

Kagome gulped a little. "Why … did you want to help me?" He was silent for a while and just as Kagome was sure that he hadn't heard her or wasn't about to give her an answer, he spoke. Normally, his tone was uncaring and almost bored but this time … it was just different. She didn't know how it was but it sounded softer almost like he cared for her. But that was impossible! He was Sesshomaru! He didn't care for anyone! Except for the human girl he kept with him …

"Why should I not help you?" His words brought her back from her thoughts. "You are a powerful miko and a good role model for Rin. She also seems to have a liking for you. Whether or not you want to admit it, my brother does not deserve one such as you."

Kagome blushed like she'd never blushed before. Even InuYasha hadn't made her blush like this! Was the great Lord Sesshomaru actually paying her a compliment? TWO compliments?

"Oh. Is … that all?" She asked slowly. Now he turned to look at her. Barely but she caught it.

"Of course it is." He said as he looked back a head. He allowed himself a tiny smirk as he caught her blush and remembered the first time he had seen her blush. It was when she put this stupid necklace on him.

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_Kagome stormed back to Kaede's hut after she had just created an InuYasha crater. "He's almost as bad as his brother!" She exclaimed in frustration. Just as she was finishing her lesson with Kaede, the lesson strangely being on charms and incantations, including the submission necklaces, they heard a bunch of crashing and thumping. Kagome and Kaede went out to see InuYasha and Sesshomaru fighting, yet AGAIN!_

_Sesshomaru spotted Kagome and knowing something that would just completely tick him off, he appeared in front of the miko, grabbing her and pulling her to his body. He told himself that the was doing it purely for the joy of torturing InuYasha but something prodded at him, telling him that he was lying to himself._

_Kagome blushed insanely and then she felt a pair of silky soft lips on her own. Suddenly, she couldn't hear anything but her own heartbeat and when the kiss ended, she could hear InuYasha shouting as he ran hopelessly after his brother. Kagome blinked, staggering back a few steps before she caught herself. Shaking her head to clear it a little, she let out a breath that she was unaware that she had been holding._

"_I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT, SESSHOMARU!" InuYasha yelled angrily. _

_Sesshomaru smirked, knowing that it would only anger his brother more. "If you can catch me, that is."_

_InuYasha growled. "I will! And then I'll kill you!"_

"_You can't even catch up to me, half breed."_

"_I'll show you, half breed!" Kagome sighed, putting a hand to her head. All InuYasha's yelling and Sesshomaru's taunts were really getting to her. Finally, she'd had enough!_

_Grabbing a necklace that was similar to InuYasha's but more … high class in a sense, she closed her eyes, beginning the spell. Once it was complete, Kagome took in a breath._

"_SIT DOWN!" She yelled and both brothers fell face first into the dirt. Sesshomaru was the first to recover and he sped towards Kagome._

"_Down!" Thump! He got up again. "Down!" Thump again! Finally, Sesshomaru gave up and glared at her and then left._

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Sesshomaru almost chuckled but he caught himself just in time. What was it with these annoying memories of him and the miko wench that was quickly falling asleep beside him? He sighed lightly, shifting Kagome so he was carrying her bridal style in his arms so she could sleep. If she was going to be any use to him, then she needed to be well rested.

_You know you're such a terrible liar._

_This Sesshomaru does not lie. Who are you, anyways?_

_I am you, of course!_

_I would not be so annoying._

_That's beside the point. My point is that you want Kagome for more reasons than just Rin._

_You lie._

"…"

_Hello?_

"…"

Sesshomaru sighed lightly and felt Kagome shift and move towards him, lightly resting a delicate hand on his chest. He didn't bother to remove it.

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A/N: HAHA! How's that? Like it? Now … I am going to name a few people that need to be thanked and need to have questions answered –smiles-

professionaldooropener: I hope that little flash back answers your question!

A thank you to:

MoonlightxDestiny

Lacas-Crown

Second-Chance23

Silver Volken Raven

KageFaiaKoon Dragon

I hope I got all your names right and … THANK YOU! –Hugs all my reviewers- I wasn't NOT expecting to get so many reviews!

Disclaimer: If I owned InuYasha .. I wouldn't be writing about him! Duh!


	3. Melting the Ice

Chapter Three

Melting the Ice

Disclaimer: If I owned InuYasha I wouldn't be writing about him … duh!

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Kagome slowly awoke, laying on something comfortable that felt like her sleeping bag but there was something warm that was draped over her. She could sense the barrier and when she sat up, she saw the kimono shirt that felt like InuYasha's.

Her head came up when she heard a slight movement and a blush spread across her cheeks as she saw a very wet and very hot demon lord. Though he was still wearing his pants, he didn't have a shirt on and his broad and chiseled chest was the only thing she could look at for the long part of what seemed like forever.

Slowly, she tore her eyes away from his chest and up to his eyes, the blush growing on her cheeks before she quickly looked away and down at his hiori that had kept her warm the entire night even after the fire had died out.

"Your … hiori shirt … it … arigato, Sesshomaru." For some reason, hearing his name come from her lips made him want to kiss her … again …

"It should have kept you warm throughout the night. It is made from the fur of the firerat." Kagome frowned a little.

"But, isn't the fur red?" He set down the fish he had caught for breakfast and started to build the base for a fire.

"Hai but only the poor and uneducated wear it in its original color. Most dye it. It shows high status." He told her simply, his tone uncaring and sounding as if he was explaining it all to a small child.

"Oh." She said quietly, running her hand over it. Sesshomaru didn't miss a beat. He studied her out of the corner of his eye as she stroked the soft fabric. It probably reminded her of his baka of a brother. That thought made him want to growl but he quickly pushed it aside, ordering himself to stay focused on the fire even though it was simple and he could have done it in his sleep. He needed something to distract himself from images of Kagome sleeping and her slowly consuming scent.

"I take it you're hungry." He stated in his usual monotone voice. He noticed her look at him and nod lightly.

"Breakfast will be ready soon then." He put them on sticks and stuck the sticks in the ground close to the fire and then stood again, walking over and putting his undershirt on again and then walked over to Kagome.

Kagome had been lost in her thoughts until Sesshomaru stopped in front of her. A blush covered her cheeks and she looked away.

"If you don't need it anymore, I'll take my shirt back." Kagome nodded a little, handing it to him. Their hands brushed and she pulled hers back like he had burned her.

Sesshomaru frowned slightly. The miko's reaction to his touch, as bare as it was, didn't please him in the least. In fact, it stuck somewhere inside him painfully. He recognized it as the pain he had felt when he found out his mother had passed on. He growled inwardly, pushing the memory out of his mind and going back to the fire and letting the barrier down.

Kagome rolled up her sleeping bag and went over to the fire. "Sesshomaru … " She had called his name so softly, he thought that his heart would stop beating.

"Hai?"

"Why did you put up that barrier?" He looked over and she was just looking down at her hands that were folded in her lap.

"I'm not going to let some weakling demon get the better of this taiyoukai. This Sesshomaru needs you, miko. For Rin's sake." He saw Kagome's expression fall a little and he cursed himself silently.

"As strong as you are, your powers have not fully been awakened yet. You are too important to lose, Kagome." He said. Her name on his tongue felt like sugar and it almost made him smile.

Just as he was going to say something else, he felt a demon presence, along with Kagome, he noted. He looked to her.

"You feel it as well?" Kagome nodded and he rose, offering her a hand. Kagome looked to him and then to his hand and slowly took it, feeling herself being pulled towards him and blushed a little.

"What do you feel, Kagome?" Sesshomaru asked. Kagome looked to him and frowned a little but seeing that he probably wasn't joking, she closed her eyes.

"I feel … anger and … " She gasped. "I feel a jewel shard!" Sesshomaru allowed himself a small smirk but Kagome caught it, making sure she didn't give any indication that she saw it.

He nodded. "Good. Now, can you single out the shard?" Kagome frowned again, looking to him. This time he gave a small, encouraging nod.

Kagome smiled a little and she closed her eyes, sifting through the auras and focusing on the shard she felt. "Good. Now, try and call it to you?" Kagome opened her eyes, giving him a quizzical look.

"Call it to me?" She echoed. He nodded again. "Imagine having it in your hand or yourself reaching down and picking it up." Kagome sighed a little, thinking that it was a little impossible but decided to try it anyways.

Closing she singled out the shard again and winced a little. "It … burns." She said softly. Sesshomaru gently snaked his arm around her waist. "It's alright. Try and ignore it." Kagome nodded a little, concentrating hard and slowly, she felt like something was in her hand and she no longer felt a demonic presence, except for the obvious one.

"Open your eyes, Kagome." Sesshomaru said softly, his lips almost grazing her ear, making her shiver a little. Slowly, she opened her eyes and gasped a little. There was the jewel shard! It was in her hand! She did it!

Without a second thought, Kagome threw her arms around Sesshomaru's waist in a grateful hug. This action took the demon lord by surprise but slowly, he allowed himself to return her embrace. Kagome must have realized what she was doing and she jumped back, not realizing how weak she had become.

Sesshomaru saw her knees buckle and her body start to fall but he easily caught her, carrying her bridal style, frowning a little. That simple little task had taken more energy than she was used to. No matter, though, she would get used to it and get stronger.

Kagome, still barely conscious, felt Sesshomaru pick her up and she smiled, snuggling into his embrace, gently laying a hand on his chest. One thought came to her mind before she slipped into a peaceful sleep:

I guess I must be melting the ice …

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A/N: Well people! What do you ya'll think? –smiles- I hope that I'm not melting Sesshy's cold, cold heart too fast! Thank you all for your awesome, awesome reviews! This story has gotten the most reviews out of all of my fanfics!

Now .. an EXTRA special thank you to …

BlackWolfofFire: Thank you so much! And .. I'm sorry about not responding to your PM thing. I don't know how! –cries- I'm glad that I gave you ideas! –Blushes-

Silver Volken Raven: No! Don't sick the cookie monster on me! I've updated already! See?

Thanks again everybody!


	4. Slowly Realizing

Chapter Four

**Protecting Rin**

**Disclaimer: Again with the 'if I owned InuYasha then I wouldn't be writing about him' thing! Honestly people!**

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A long while later, Kagome woke up, feeling refreshed but also feeling the call of nature. She looked up at the taiyoukai who looked to be deep in thought. She really didn't want to bother him but she really needed to take this call.

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome called quietly. The demon lord only slid her a side ways glance but she knew that he had heard her.

"If it's not too much trouble, could we stop for a minute? I have to take care of some urgent needs." Sesshomaru nodded a little, understanding for the most part. The landed and the fluffy red cloud that had been solid beneath their feet slowly dissipated, letting them to the ground. Kagome nodded gratefully and ran off towards some bushes, returning a few minutes later.

She smiled at him and he arched a silver brow in question. "Are you feeling in need of food?" He asked in his usual tone. Kagome nodded a little and spotted some bushes where blueberries were growing and knelt down, using her shirt to carry them.

The taiyoukai frowned, walking over. Her already improper attire was already too much. He knelt down; using his sleeve the way Kagome was using her shirt and scooped the berries from her shirt to his sleeve. He looked to the sky and decided that it would be dark soon.

"I suppose you would like to stretch your legs before resting for the night." Kagome looked up at him, a little surprised. If she were with InuYasha, she would literally have to beg him to let her down so she could walk or so they could rest for the night. But then again, she wasn't traveling with InuYasha anymore. She watched the demon lord as he easily made a fire pit with a smile on her face, munching on the berries. No, she defiantly wasn't traveling with InuYasha anymore. Though she missed her friends terribly, she was glad that she was traveling with Sesshomaru now.

"Yes, thank you." Kagome gave him a soft smile and walked around a little though quite aware that Sesshomaru could still hear and smell her clearly. She spotted a stream and smiled, crouching down and splashing water on her face and then taking her shoes and socks off as she dipped them in the still warm water, giggling when some fish nibbled on her toes.

Sesshomaru heard her giggling and he walked towards where she was sitting.

"Woman, what are you doing?" He demanded, slightly confused at what could be so amusing.

Kagome looked up at him with a smile. "Nothing. It tickles when the fish latch onto my toes."

Sesshomaru frowned slightly but didn't show any emotion other than that. "Well, the food is ready."

Kagome nodded, putting her socks and shoes back on and walking over to the fire. After a long period of silence, she rolled out her sleeping bag and then looked at the taiyoukai through the flames of the fire. He was very handsome … and really strong and … a lot better than that baka InuYasha. Sure, she would always have a soft spot in her heart for InuYasha but she found herself realizing that she didn't want him for a boyfriend or a mate or anything romantic like that. They were just friends … good friends but still just friends.

As she looked at Sesshomaru through the fires, she saw that he was looking right back at her. He was surprised that she didn't blush or stutter or even turn away, she just smiled at him.

"Sesshomaru?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you want to go back to your castle?" This caught him by surprise. Not many times had he been surprised and yet his woman had been able to do just that countless times all in one day.

"I suppose. Why do you ask?"

Kagome smiled a little. "No reason. Night." With that, she crawled into her sleeping bag and fell asleep, forgetting all about the fish. For the longest time, Sesshomaru just sat there, watching her sleep.

"Good night, Kagome." He said softly.

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The night and most of the morning was quiet until they finally reached their destination. Once the cloud had gone, Kagome was surprised to see a small human girl.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" She cried out happily, running outside and latching herself to his leg. What shocked Kagome even more was that he smiled a soft smile, his golden orbs turning into pools of light amber as he knelt down, giving the girl a fatherly hug.

Kagome was dumbfounded. She couldn't believe it. She was half expecting him to push the young girl away and say something about how disgusting humans were but he didn't. It was then the small girl noticed Kagome and smiled brightly.

"Kagome-chan!" She squealed running over to her and hugging her tightly. Kagome smiled, kneeling down and hugging the girl in return.

"Has Kagome-chan come to play with Rin?" Kagome nodded a little.

"Hai, Rin. Kagome has come for you." Sesshomaru stated. Both humans looked up at the demon.

"Kagome will be your new okaa-san, Rin." He said before walking off. Kagome's jaw dropped and Rin only squealed again, hugging Kagome tightly.

_If … I become Rin's new mother … then that means I will have to be mated or in a relationship with Sesshomaru …_

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The next day, Kagome was walking around the gardens with Rin, still thinking about what the taiyoukai had said to them the day before.

"_Hai, Rin. Kagome has come for you. Kagome will be your new okaa-san."_

If he was being serious, which she was pretty sure he was because he really didn't seem like the joking type, then that would probably mean that he was planning on at least marking her. She blushed at the thought. It's not that she wouldn't agree with it, it was just that … well … he was Sesshomaru! He'd made countless attempts on her life and InuYasha's. And yet … he'd just taught her how to use her miko powers more efficiently.

She had gotten into a habit of carrying her bow and arrows around since she was training whenever possible and it would just waste too much training time leaving them in one place all the time and having to run and get them each time she trained. Sighing a little, she watched Rin and a smile came to her and then she turned her attention up to the sky, where puffy clouds were blowing gently in the gentle breeze.

Something caught her attention though. It was a demonic aura and it was defiantly not Sesshomaru's as she could feel intense rage coming from it. Rage that seemed to be focused on Rin. Kagome's eyes widened as she saw the demon heading straight towards her, sending the frightened child scurrying behind her legs. For whatever reason, she felt instant anger and the need to protect the girl kick up inside of her and she slowly recognized it as her natural motherly instincts.

Her chocolate brown eyes narrowed and she readied an arrow, which began glowing pink, along with her body. The pink around her body slowly spanned out, forming a protective shield around her and Rin. As soon as the demon was close enough, she let the sacred arrow fly, a pink stream of light following it as it sliced the demon. She heard it cry out in pain and it fell to the ground, turning into dust and the wind blowing it away, leaving nothing in it's presence.

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**A/N: Well, how was that for you all? I wanted to make this a longer chapter and sorry that I couldn't update yesterday but I was at my aunt's house until 8:15 last night and I was really busy! Sorry again! I hope this longer chapter makes up for it –smiles and hugs all her reviewers- I can't believe how many reviews I've gotten … just for this story! I know 16 aren't much compared to what some people get but … it's the most I've ever had.**

**Oh! And, I have to start looking for a job that might slow down my updating process, but it shouldn't. I did have a job but I got "let go" –eye roll- yeah … right! Oh well … I shall smite my evil ex boss later!**

**BlackWolfofFire – Thanks for the bit of info about the pm! I know how to send them but I don't know how to receive them … -sigh- so … sorry!**

**Sesshomarugrl- I think you've got a very good point! And, who knows? You could very well be right about it –smiles-**


	5. Coming To Terms

**Chapter Five**

**Coming To Terms**

**Disclaimer: One day I shall own InuYasha! **

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Kagome awoke the next morning in a soft bed. It was so comfortable … even more comfy then the one at her house in her era! That was hard to do but it had been done. She'd never slept so well before. Sitting up, she looked to her alarm clock, which she had brought back with her the last time she went to her time. It was only eight so Kagome figured that she had enough time to bathe and go down to the dining hall for breakfast.

When she came back from her bath, a girl with purple hair was bowing in front of her. "Lady Kagome."

Kagome bristled a little at the 'lady'. "Please, call me Kagome." The girl nodded a little.

"Lord Sesshomaru has sent me as your hand maiden, Kagome." She said with a small smile. Kagome smiled back with one of her own.

"That was nice of him. I hope you don't mind me asking but … what are hand maidens suppose to do?" A small giggle could be heard from the girl.

"To help the ladies, of course. So, right now, it is my job to help you get dressed for the morning meal with Lord Sesshomaru." Kagome nodded. If she was anyone but herself, she'd probably take that as an insult but she knew that it wasn't so she smiled.

"Well, alright. What are my choices for today?" The girl brightened up and went to the large closet-type of the furnishing, opening the doors and revealing at least fifty kimonos of all different sorts.

Kagome gasped a little. "Are … these all … for me?" Another giggle came from the girl and she nodded.

Kagome lightly touched one, gasping at the softness of the fabric. He must not have spared any expense …

"Um … Kagome?" A voice brought her back from her thoughts. Kagome smiled at the girl with the purple hair and then her eyes went wide.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry! I forgot to ask what your name is!" The girl giggled a little.

"It's alright, Kagome. I am Yuri, your hand maiden." She gave a bow and Kagome smiled a little.

"It's nice to meet you, Yuri. Now, I suppose we should get down to business so I don't keep the Lord waiting any longer than he already has, ne?" Both of the women giggled and then Kagome took out one kimono that was blue, gold, white and pink. It had flowers embroidered on it with various colored threads. It also had a large silver dog also embroidered on it. Kagome smiled a little, maybe being Sesshomaru's mate wasn't such a bad idea after all. Sure, he'd made countless attempts on her life but … he seemed different.

After the breakfast meal, which had turned out to be very uneventful, she was wandering around and came upon a room. The door creaked so she guessed that no one used it very much. There was a fireplace that had recent ashes in it and there was a picture hanging over it. It was of two boys.

Looking closer, Kagome gasped a little, realizing that the two boys that looked so very playful in the picture was Sesshomaru and InuYasha. They were both smiling wide smiles and holding frogs that they had caught. InuYasha was looking to Sesshomaru and Kagome was touched, seeing the admiration and adoration that his amber eyes held for his older brother. They looked so cute, too. _I wonder why things are so different …_

Kagome looked around the room a little more and found a desk with a chair. Frowning a little, she went over to the desk and opened a squeaky drawer, finding a book. It was the only thing in the entire desk, which was a little puzzling. Turning the book over, there was a large silver dog engraved into the old leather. With her curiosity growing, Kagome opened it and a letter fell out.

"Hm? A letter? That's strange … " Picking it up, Kagome carefully examined it. It was old, very old, how old she didn't quite know. Opening it slowly, as to not have it rip, Kagome scanned over it, thankful to Kaede for teaching her how to learn the writing of Feudal Japan. It was quite a long letter and there were some words that Kagome couldn't make out but she got the just of it.

"'Dear InuYasha,'" She began, reading what she could, "'This is for you, from me, your older brother, Sesshomaru. If you get this letter in good health then I'm really glad. I just want you to know that I really love you and I like catching frogs with you down at the pond. I also want you to know that I don't ever want to kill you but I want to help make you stronger and this is the only way I know how. Father wants you to get stronger, too, that's why he said that he wouldn't make me take back my pledge. I really do like you; InuYasha and I want you to know that I'll never think badly of you just because you're part human. I think it's kind of cool. Anyways, I have to go. I've got more training to do.

Love Your Brother,

Sesshomaru.'"

Kagome's eyes misted over and she smiled. "So he really doesn't hate InuYasha." Her small victory of uncovering a little of the demon lord was short lived since the door burst open and a very angry taiyoukai was standing in the doorway.

"What the devil are you doing in here, woman?" Sesshomaru demanded, his usual uncaring tone gone, replaced by an icy one. It made her shiver and she quickly put the letter away, getting up. She hadn't managed to put the book away before Sesshomaru strode angrily over to her and grabbed her wrist, yanking her to him and making her drop the book.

The book fell to the floor with a deafening quiet thud and Sesshomaru's eyes widened a little as he let her go, reaching down and picking the book up. Kagome watched as he ran his fingers over the design on the front cover delicately. His golden eyes turned molten as he just stared at the book for what seemed like ages.

"Where did you find this?" He asked, again making Kagome shiver.

"I … found it in the desk." She answered quietly. He didn't give any indication of hearing her but instead, he walked around to where the chair was and pulled the drawer out, putting the book back in. He then roughly shoved Kagome out of the room, closing the door soundly.

"Don't ever go in that room again." He ordered before stalking off.

Kagome followed him with her eyes until he disappeared and sighed a little. She wasn't sure whether to be relieved, concerned or scared. Looking out the window, she realized that she had spent more time in there than intended and she had promised to play with Rin that afternoon.

Running out to the garden, she was greeted by the child. Kagome smiled, pushing all thoughts of this morning out of her head. She would think about it later.

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Later, once everyone was sleeping, Sesshomaru crept into the room where he had found Kagome earlier that day. Going over to the desk, he pulled out the drawer and removed the book. He remembered the letter he had written the very day his father had died. He remembered every word of it. Opening the book, he took the letter out and sighed a little, going over to the painting of himself and his brother. He stared at it for a long time.

Sighing again, he walked over to the desk, put the letter back into the book but just as he was going to put the book back into the desk again, he stopped and just closed the drawer and looking at the picture again before exiting the room and entering his own.

_I've never hated you, InuYasha. This is the only way I knew how to make you stronger. I wish I could tell you and have you feel towards me the way you did all that time ago …_

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**A/N: OOOHHH! Now what happens? I have just revealed a key bit of information! Isn't it sweet, though? How Fluffy still cares for his little brother!**

**What would you all think if I added a character of my own in here? I've got a little girl that I might add in if all of you think it's a good idea. It wouldn't bother me with just sticking to the characters but … I don't want to leave InuYasha alone … I kind of feel sorry for the little puppy! And sorry to all you pro-Kikyo people; IF she's in this story, there will be some MAJOR bashing! I used to have mixed feelings for Kikyo in like the beginning but now … NO WAY! I hate her now! **

**Silver Volken Raven** **- I was gunna have it be 'Protecting Rin' but I thought I'd change it ... cause I just didn't think that the current title suited it and so I changed it to 'Slowly Realizing' Sorry that it was confusing!**

**MysticTenshi** **- I agree with you on that one! Hmm .. maybe Kagome will just use it on occations ... like when she gets really mad at him ;**

**Thanks To:**

**KagomeAndRin  
Horsefreak15  
KageFaiaKoori Doragon  
professionaldooropener**

**Anyways .. as always … I would LOVE to hear from you guys! I LOVE ALL MY REVIEWS and I haven't gotten a single flame, yet! –Hugs all my reviewers- I love you all so much! –Sniffles- **


	6. Happily Ever After?

**Chapter Six**

**Happily Ever After?**

**Disclaimer: If I owned InuYasha then I wouldn't be writing about him … as most of you who read my fanfics know **

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Yuri was helping her Lady Kagome into a kimono she had picked out this morning after her bath and was getting more and more concerned for the new comer by each passing minute. Even in the short time she had spent with the woman, she knew that unless something was troubling her, she wouldn't be so quiet.

"Kagome?" Yuri called, pulling the miko out of her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"What's wrong?" Kagome looked to the girl that she had become friends with in such a short time and sighed.

"Yuri, I think that I upset Sesshomaru yesterday." The purple haired girl smiled warmly.

"I'm sure it's nothing to get so upset about." Kagome frowned a little, debating on whether to voice her discovery.

"I found something yesterday that he was very … sensitive about." This seemed to shock the girl and she smiled. She probably wasn't aware that the demon lord felt any emotions at all.

"It was a letter, addressed to InuYasha. By the sound of it, Sesshomaru wrote it when him and InuYasha were still kids or something like that. It didn't sound at all like something adult Sesshomaru would write."

Yuri nodded a little and Kagome continued.

"I'm just worried that I might have seriously upset him by snooping into his personal life." Kagome sighed a little and was greeted by a reassuring smile by Yuri.

"Don't worry, Kagome. I'm sure that everything is fine now." Just as the words had passed from her lips, Sesshomaru entered the room, not knocking or anything.

"You are dismissed now, Yuri." He said in a cold voice. Yuri nodded and looked to her friend, giving her an encouraging smile before bowing politely and skittering out of the room.

Sesshomaru looked at Kagome, once hearing the swift click of the closing door, his eyes narrowed and unreadable except for the anger that was in them.

"What gives you the right to go through my personal things? I've been nice and I let you live your pathetic human mortal life and this is how you repay me by going through my personal things and putting your nose where it doesn't belong." Kagome was a little surprised at the emotion he was so openly portraying. While he was ranting on her prying into his past and personal life, he had begun to pace a little, showing mounting signs of frustration. A small smile played on her lips.

"Sesshomaru." She said softly, causing him to stop and look at her. Then, faster than she could blink, he had his arms around her and had already begun to kiss her.

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Sometime later, Kagome was in the garden where she had agreed to meet him. Nervousness was growing in leaps and bounds and it was also knotting up her stomach. She didn't exactly know what was going to happen tonight but she had an idea that it had something to do with becoming fully mated to Sesshomaru.

The thought made her blush and she touched the bite mark on her neck that was made just hours earlier by the passionate demon lord. Kagome chuckled a little. She never thought that she could or would ever use the word passionate to describe Sesshomaru.

Slowly, she began calming herself down as she walked over to a near-by pond, looking at the moon's reflection in it. "It sure is pretty out here." She said softly.

"You only make it more beautiful." Sesshomaru said from behind her, a smirk playing on his lips when he saw her jump and tense as she turned to him. What he wasn't expecting was her smile. He was feeling confidant and in control but when he saw her smile, he nearly lost his control and claimed her, right there, right then. He shook his head a little, calming himself. No, he wanted this to be nice … for her …

She walked over to him and he smiled a little bit, running a hand over the mark he had made on her neck just this morning. Kagome surprised herself when she reached up and gently wrapped her fingers around his hand and then she was surprised yet again when he lifted their hands up and linked their fingers together.

"I don't know what this change is that I've undergone but, right now, I'm not regretting it."

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Sometime in the early morning, about an hour or so before dawn, Sesshomaru left his new mate and slid on his robe, not bothering to tie it as he stood looking out the window. Slowly, a realization hit him that he didn't have to be cold and "heartless" all the time. That he could, indeed, feel and experience love again and that's just what he was doing. Looking over to his now naked Kagome, he smiled a happy smile for the first time since he was a child … the last day of his adventures of frog catching with his little brother …

He didn't notice that he was staring until Kagome stirred a little and looked into his golden eyes. She smiled at him again and this time, he didn't just turn away or say something unmeaning or cold, he actually smiled back. Kagome's smile never faltered when she saw him smile, instead, she got out of the bed, taking a blanket and wrapping it around herself, going over to him.

Under the light of the moon, the demon lord led his new mate back to their bed and took her again.

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Kagome rolled over, frowning in her sleep finding her sole heat source gone already. Yawning a little, she rolled onto her back, looking out the window. The sun was still pretty low in the sky so it couldn't be more than eight thirty in the morning, she thought. A smile grew on her face as memories of the previous night floated back to her.

"So you're finally up." She heard someone say. Her eyes went from their sleepy and content close to snapping open. She shot up in the bed, clutching the blankets to her chest, not expecting to see whom she saw.

Sesshomaru was sitting in a chair; a piece of paper in his hand while one leg was crossed over the other. She noticed that he was wearing a robe that was probably meant to be confined to the bedroom. Her eyes drifted over to another chair where a robe almost like this except a dark midnight blue with a pink and white flower pattern was draped across the back of it.

Kagome nodded a little and heard a chuckle, looking over to him again. Never in her year of coming to the Feudal era had she ever heard Sesshomaru laugh, come to think of it, yesterday and last night was probably the first time she'd ever seen him display such emotion.

"The robe is yours." He said softly. "I had breakfast brought up. I wasn't sure what you liked so I decided to get a bit of everything." Kagome slipped out of the nice and comfy bed, slipping on the robe. She almost gasped at the softness of it … it was almost like it wasn't even there …

Making her way over to her new mate, she realized that the paper he was holding was the letter she had found.

"Sesshomaru, I never got to tell you that I was sorry for snooping like I did." He set the letter and the book down and pulled her into his lap, his arms around her and he nuzzled her a little, taking in her sweet scent.

"Don't apologize for helping me." He murmured. Kagomae relaxed against his chest, putting her head on his shoulder.

"Are you sure?" She felt him nod.

"I'm positive. It's time to end this silly game. I have already sent Jakken with a message to my brother and his traveling companions, inviting them to the castle." Kagome smiled a little. She was excited to see everyone again; she was even excited to see InuYasha. She hoped everyone was doing well and no one was hurt.

There came a knock on the door and small hands opening it, a head poking through the opening, her wide brown eyes asking her silent question. Kagome saw the girl and smiled, opening her arms.

The little girl didn't waste a second before running into the room, letting the heavy door fall closed on it's own and jumped into Kagome's waiting arms.

"Okaa-san, does outo-san love her?" Rin asked innocently. Kagome smiled and was cut off before she could even answer.

"Hai, Rin. I do love Kagome." Kagome turned to him and watched him smile as he leaned forward and captured her lips with his. Rin smiled, hugging her parents. "Rin is happy that Rin has a full family now."

Kagome smiled down at the girl as she gently stroked her hair.

I guess this could be happily ever after … 

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**A/N: Well, what did you think everyone? –Smiles- sorry … I don't do lemons, I want everyone to be able to be able to read it comfortably –smiles again- I've now reached 30 reviews! I can't believe it! I nearly cried when I saw how many I got! Thank you all SOOOOOOOO much! If you have any ideas, don't be hesitant to include them, constructive criticism is also welcome … just no flames. I don't think I ever mentioned that in any of the earlier chapters!**

Cyrox- I really don't appreciate your review. I'm not basing hardly anything from the show and it is a fanfiction, which entitles me to write and make the characters do and say and act however I want. If you don't like it, well, I'm just not going to finish that statement. 

**MysticTenshi –  Yes, InuYasha finds out! Hence the reason why Sesshy-kun sent Jakken with a message! Hehe! I'm glad I made you happy!**

**professionaldooropener – I really enjoy making people happy so I'm glad this made you happy –smiles-**

**Thanks to:**

**kagomefan595**

**little angel Anariel**

**inufluffy**


	7. Kagome's Big News

**Chapter Seven**

**Kagome's Big News**

**Disclaimer: One day … I swear I will own InuYasha!**

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Days past with the same routine pretty much, during the day, Kagome would talk with the servants and occasionally check on their progress and she would also spend as much time as she could with Rin. The nights, though, were completely hers and Sesshomaru's. They would spend the dinner meal with Rin and then after watching the girl color with items Kagome had brought back from her time, everyone would retire.

A couple times, Kagome had actually convinced him to come and help her tuck Rin in for the night. Once the girl was sleeping, they would retire to their room and have the night to themselves.

The days had been absolutely wonderful.

This morning though, Kagome had slowly woken up to wave after wave of nausea. Groaning a little, Kagome opened her eyes, trying to hold everything down. Her eyes closed then shot open and she dashed from the bedroom, to the bathroom, emptying her stomach contents.

The sudden movement woke the demon lord and the put a robe on, going into the bathroom and seeing his mate leaning over the toilet bowl. He frowned a little, kneeling down. He didn't detect anything of sickness. He would have to ask her once she was … finished.

Finally, Kagome leaned back and Sesshomaru pulled her into his arms. "Kagome, are you alright?" She gave a little nod.

"Yeah, I feel fine now. I think I just ate something off." Before Sesshomaru could respond, two children were looking at them.

"Is okaa-san alright?" Rin asked curiously. Kagome smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'm fine now. I'll just have a bath and then meet you all down for breakfast all right?" She stood and nearly had to push Sesshomaru out of the bathroom. Sometimes, he did act like InuYasha but much more refined and polite.

While having her bath, Kagome reflected on the conversation Sesshomaru had with his brother. It had started off choppy but both brothers eventually calmed their tempers and suspicions and were able to talk like civilized people. She smiled when she remembered InuYasha's face of shock and disbelief when Sesshomaru handed him the letter.

She knew it was going to take a while for them to really be able to get along and start acting the way brothers should act but at least it was a start.

Climbing out, she got prepared for a day just like the rest and she pushed all thoughts of that morning's strange happening out of her mind.

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Kagome groaned again, feeling the familiar from yesterday morning. Her eyes shot open and she yet again dashed to the bathroom. What in the world was wrong with her?

Sesshomaru was apparently wondering the same thing because as soon as she had recovered, he had his arms firmly crossed over his chest.

"You are going to see a healer today." Kagome looked up at him and saw his no-nonsense expression and sighed, nodding.

"Alright."

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Kagome sat on the futon of the healer's hut, waiting for an answer.

The healer turned to her with a smile. She was an elderly youkai but was nice and kind to all of her patients, regulars or not.

"Congratulations, Lady Kagome. You are going to be a mother." Kagome blinked a little.

"Huh? Me? A … a mother?" The thought rolled around in her head and she was still thinking about it when she arrived back at the castle and as she was sitting on the bench in the gardens, watching Rin and Shippo play.

_I'm … going to become a mother? I'm going to have a baby? Me? But … the father … should I tell him? Will he be mad? Doesn't he hate half demons? Well, maybe not. We thought he hated humans but … he adopted Rin and …I am mated to him …_

"Okaa-san?" Rin's voice brought her out of her thoughts. Kagome blinked a little and smiled.

"Yes Rin?"

"Are you alright?" Kagome nodded a little.

"Hai, I am. Why do you ask?"

"Because it is dinner time." Kagome blushed a little. Time had passed so quickly so soon? She smiled down at the girl, taking her hand.

"Well, let's go." Rin nodded and they walked to dinner.

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When Kagome was putting Rin to bed, she gently stroked the girl's hair. "Rin, what do you think about having a little brother or sister?"

Rin's eyes went wide. "Rin would like it very much! Rin would have someone to play with when Shippo-chan has to go away and when okaa-san is too busy to play with Rin!" Kagome laughed a little at the young girl's enthusiasm.

"Alright, alright, enough. Lay down and close your eyes now." She told her gently. Rin smiled and nodded, doing exactly what she had been told. Getting up, she placed a kiss on the child's forehead, walking to the door before blowing out the candles.

"Good night, Rin." She said softly before closing the door. Sighing a little, she leaned against it, putting a hand to her stomach. She still hadn't decided whether or not she was happy that she was pregnant. Thinking about Rin and Shippo, she smiled a little, pushing away from the wall.

She would be glad, she decided. After all, she knew she wanted a family, especially to have a baby that came from her and her mate, which turned out to be Sesshomaru. She was reluctant to tell him about her current condition. She really wasn't sure on how he would react. Would he be mad? Would he just go right back to being cold and emotionless? Would he send her away? Would he still want her?

That last question rung through her mind, she really wasn't sure if he would still want her or not when he found out. He did say that he loved her, though and she knew that she loved him back.

But would that be enough?

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**A/N: OOH! Cliffhanger! Hehe! Anyways … sorry this chapter is a bit shorter … it's kind of just a filler chapter … the REAL excitement will begin when Sesshy finds out that his mate is pregnant with HIS pups! Yes, I said pups, which should give you some kind of hint –evil smile-**

**inufluffy – Flames are very bad/insulting reviews, at least I'm pretty sure that's what they are!**

**MysticTenshi – Of course it's not the end! I could never just stop great fanfics like this! Hehe … don't I sound arrogant? Hehe!**

**A Thank You To:**

**KageFaiaKoori Dragon**

**professionaldooropener**

**Zorro-chan**

**Thank you all again! I'm so happy that you all like it –smiles brightly and hugs all her NICE reviewers-**

**Oh … by the way, Cyrox, if you don't like my story then DON'T READ IT!**


	8. Kagome's Big News II

**Chapter Eight**

**Kagome's Big News II**

**Disclaimer: I swear upon my soul that one day I will buy InuYasha and Co. off of Rumiko whatever her last name is (I can never remember!)**

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The usual sickness in the morning was beginning to get routine for Kagome. It was also beginning to get routine for Sesshomaru to demand to know what was wrong with her. This morning though, Kagome awoke to find that her beloved demon lord was already gone. If she wasn't feeling to flipping nauseas then she would have felt some relief that she wouldn't have to come up with some little white lie. She hated lying to him but she was really unsure of what his reaction would be if she told him that she was pregnant!

While laying in bed, pondering her thoughts to keep her mind off of the intense wave of sickness she felt about every other minute, she then wondered why he hadn't noticed her weight gain. Sure, it wasn't much, maybe five or six pounds but it was enough for Kagome to notice and if it was enough for Kagome to notice then it would probably be more than enough for Sesshomaru to notice. She also began to wonder about why he wasn't there that morning but she shrugged it off, coming up with the solution that he was probably off somewhere in the castle.

Well, she was half right, at least. Sesshomaru was off somewhere but no where near the castle as he had finally gotten fed up and gone to the healers to demand that he be told what the hell was wrong with his mate!

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Sesshomaru growled a little as he arrived at the healer's hut and stormed in through the door. The old youkai looked up and gave him a smile.

"Lord Sesshomaru, how nice of you to come and visit me. Where is your lady? I instructed her to come back today so I could check on the progress of your pups." This took all the fury right out of him, leaving him to only feel complete shock for the first few seconds as it sunk in. Then, happiness spread out through him.

He was going to be a father? His Kagome was pregnant with his pups? The healer's voice brought him out of his thoughts rather quickly.

"Did she not tell you?" Sesshomaru looked at the woman and sighed slightly.

"No, she did not." Why hadn't she told him?

"Why do you think she did not tell you?" Damn, it was like the old bat could read minds.

"I suppose that I will have to ask her that. I will go and fetch her and bring her here." The healer nodded a little as the man who had grown from squalling infant to teasing child to grown man and lord in such a short time, in her mind, anyways.

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Kagome jumped a little when a slamming of the castle doors could be heard. Sesshomaru was back.

Sesshomaru then instantly singled out her scent and followed it quickly to their bedroom, where she had just finished getting dressed. With one swift movement, he had scooped her up in his arms, now finally noticing the slight change in her weight and her scent but didn't say anything as he rushed out of the castle and towards the healer's hut.

Kagome looked to him for a minute. "I'm fine, Sesshomaru. I told you before, it's nothing to worry about." He didn't say anything and Kagome had this rapidly sinking feeling in her gut. What if he knew? She cringed at the thought.

The old youkai looked up at the couple and smiled in greeting. "Lady Kagome, how nice it is to see you. Your lord was just here. Now, come and lay down while I check on your progress." Kagome nodded a little, remaining silent throughout the entire procedure. The only thing that could be heard was the healer's happy humming.

Finally, she sat up and clapped her hands together. "Well, everything seems to be going well, right on schedule, too. The pups should be due in about three months, so in the early summer." Kagome nodded a little. She was doomed. Sesshomaru would throw her out for sure

Sesshomaru nodded a little, picking up his mate and heading back to the castle. When he put her down, he began to walk away before Kagome lightly touched his arm, forcing his legs to stop moving. Turning around, he looked at her sorrowful and extremely guilt-ridden face and began feeling guilty himself.

"Sesshomaru … I …" She paused and gave a sigh, looking to the ground, "Gomen nasai. I should have told you sooner … but … I was afraid … " He could smell the salt of her tears and all his anger and even a little of his hurt dissipated right away and he gathered the small woman in his arms.

"Why would you be afraid to tell me such wonderful news?" He asked softly.

"I thought that … you wouldn't want me anymore … " Then the tears came. It was like a dam broke. Sesshomaru only sighed a little, picking her up and jumping to the balcony of their room and sitting down on their bed with a still sobbing Kagome in his arms.

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A while later, Kagome's tears had dried and they had settled into a soothing silence though many questions still roamed unanswered in the demon lord's mind.

Why would she think I wouldn't want her anymore? Why was she so afraid of that insane non-possibility? Were just a few to be named.

"Why would you think that I would not want you anymore, Kagome?" Kagome lifted her head to look at him but looked away, her chocolate brown eyes filling with guilt again.

"I thought that ... since they would be ... half demon ..."

"I would be something like disgusted?" He finished for her. Kagome gave a nod and he sighed a little.

"Has being here with me really shown you nothing? There was a time that I would probably not want to have anything to do with half demons but ... since being with you, it has changed a lot of my views on things. Including my views on half demons. I could never not want you, especially now, knowing that you have the life that I helped create growing inside of you."

Kagome looked up into the soften features of her demon lord and smiled. "Thank you." To her surprise, he gave a somewhat rare genuine smile before bringing his lips down upon hers.

A few weeks down the road and Kagome had gotten considerably bigger. Sesshomaru had to order a new set of kimono's for her, just so she could fit comfortably and not squish her or the pups. InuYasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kelala had been hanging around the castle for some time now and Kagome was very pleased to see that Miroku and Sango had finally gotten over their embarrassment and admitted their feelings to one another.

Shippo had become a brother to Rin and would play with each other every day, while Kagome watched over them, of course. She was also happy to see that InuYasha had actually become quite taken with a young demon inhabitant of the castle. He deserved someone like her, Kagome mused, and he really did. She also seemed quite happy with him around, too.

It was quite a cute sight to see. She would be doing her gardening work around the grounds and InuYasha would be perched up in a tree, blushing a little while he watched her. She would stop sometime and then look up at him and smile and they would both blush again. Sometimes, he would even help her.

It was so sweet.

**A/N: Okay! That's the second part of Kagome's Big News! I'm feeling REALLY inspired and motivated right now SOOO I'm planning a big treat for you guys ... 3 chapters in one day! I know you love me!**

**influffy – It's not really important what they're saying because I won't let it get me down –smiles-**

**Thanks To:**

**Wretched-Cursed**

**Thanks again, you guys! Your reviews inspire me! I really want to make these chapters longer so I'm going to try real hard!**


	9. Sesshy's Pride and Joy

**Chapter Nine**

**Sesshy's Pride and Joy**

**Disclaimer: I shall buy InuYasha and Co.! One day anyways...**

Sesshomaru had been watching his rapidly growing mate carefully and, frankly, she was getting a little annoyed with the whole thing. She couldn't go anywhere without him watching her and it wasn't helping to try and convince him, as she was doing now.

"I promise I won't do anything strenuous!" Kagome begged. He had kept her at close range pretty much ever since he found out that she was pregnant with his pups and she had spent most of her time inside the castle.

"I want to go outside for once! Feel the fresh air, pick some flowers, and lay in a field ... " Kagome's eyes began getting a little dreaming as she day dreamed about sitting outside with her friends. Sesshomaru looked at his very large and very round mate suspiciously. She was close to her delivery date and he didn't want to risk her getting hurt or getting sick or anything like that.

"No, Kagome." He said sternly, crossing his arms across his chest.

Kagome went over to him, giving him the look that he always broke down under. Looking at her, he only sighed a little, finally caving.

"Fine, but you are to be with InuYasha and the ones that you were traveling with." Kagome gave a happy little 'yay' and hugged him, well, as much as she could.

"I'll even take Rin and Shippo with me." Sesshomaru smiled a little, feeling his active and healthy pups kick him. He gently laid a hand on Kagome's abdomen and gave it a little rub. Kagome giggled a little, smiling.

"Okay, can I go now?" He looked to her and nodded.

"Just be careful. And – "

"Take it easy. I know." Kagome finished off for him and gave him a quick kiss before waddling out of the castle and instantly spotting Sango.

Sango looked up and gave her pregnant friend a smile. "Hey, Kagome. I see Sesshomaru finally let you out of his line of sight." Kagome laughed and nodded.

"On the condition that I have to hang out with you guys, InuYasha, Rin and Shippo."

"Well, at least you're outside." Kagome nodded.

"Yep! Now, let's go sit down up on that hill there!" She grabbed her friend's hand and they finally got to the hill. She actually managed to sit down, with a little help from Sango and Miroku, of course.

InuYasha jumped down from his usual perch in a tree, grinning like a fool. "Well, I see Sesshomaru let you roll out of the castle." Sango sweatdropped a little. Wrong thing to say to a pregnant woman with violent mood swings.

Kagome put on her sweetest face. "InuYasha ... " He turned to her and was about to say something smart again before ...

"SIT BOY!" Thump! He was sent face first into the ground. InuYasha groaned a little.

"Stupid wench."

"SIT BOY!" Thump again! Another grumble and insult from InuYasha. This one got to Kagome the most and she managed to sit up with some help.

"SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT BOY!" Sango and Miroku looked down at the new InuYasha crater and sighed.

Miroku crouched down. "You know, InuYasha, you really should be nicer to Kagome. Especially since she's pregnant with your brother's children and is prone to violent mood swings."

Sango was currently helping Kagome to the castle, as she needed to pee, yet again.

Her pregnant friend let out an exasperated sigh. "I just went ten minutes ago!"

Sango smiled a little. "Well, at least you're getting your exercise." Kagome looked to her friend and laughed. "Yeah, you're right."

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InuYasha sat next to Miroku, after digging himself of out his crater. Miroku was smirking a little, trying to hold in a chuckle.

"Shut up already, damn it!" InuYasha ordered. Miroku put his hands up in defense.

"I'm sorry, InuYasha but you really need to learn to think before you speak. Especially to a pregnant woman." InuYasha glared at him and sulked. The worst thing about the whole situation was that he knew Miroku was right. Honestly, sometimes he didn't know what possessed to say such things to Kagome.

His ears twitched when he saw Rin and Shippo running towards them.

"InuYasha!" Shippo cried out, stopping in front of him. "You have to go find your brother!"

The hanyou blinked. "Why?"

"Okaa-san is going to have the babies now!" Rin said, frantic. InuYasha paled a little. His concern for his friend was there in an instant, just like always.

"They still have three weeks left! They can't be born yet! Damn that Sesshomaru!" InuYasha growled a little as he took off to find his brother.

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Kagome cried out in pain as a contraction hit her, squeezing Sango's hand. Lucky for them, the healer who frequently checked up on Kagome and the pups, had arrived at the castle just in time. Sango was dipping a cloth in a bucket of cool river water and dabbing Kagome's face with it.

"Hang in there, Kagome." Sango urged, concerned for her friend's well being. She hoped that Sesshomaru would get there soon, Kagome was crushing her hand and it really hurt.

The healer was moving around, propping up Kagome's legs and moving them apart and covering her with a blanket. She could already feel the baby's head and looked up at Kagome with a smile.

"You're almost there, Kagome, dear." She said soothingly. Kagome nodded a little, panting, trying to breathe through the incredible pain.

Just then, Sesshomaru showed up, worry written all across his features. Sango, being too relieved to hand Kagome off to him, would have been shocked at such a display of emotion.

Kagome looked over at him with a smile just as he knelt down, his hand replacing Sango's. His other hand rotated the cloth, keeping it cool. He didn't realize how much seeing Kagome in pain would hurt him and then another factor of his worry set in; the pups were being born early. He was just about to say something to the healer before he was shooed out of the castle and replaced by a few more women, youkai and human alike.

He sighed a little, returning to his brother and the monk outside on the hill. To his surprise, InuYasha was sitting next to Miroku, looking worried, yes but he was expecting his brother to be pacing and cussing, not just sitting there.

He sat down as well, tuning his hearing to inside the room and every time he heard Kagome cry out, he winced visibly.

After a while, everything got quiet and all Sesshomaru could hear was murmuring voices and shuffling footsteps, which was making him extremely uneasy. He turned to Miroku and Miroku looked to him, nodding a little, pulling out a few strips of paper with enchanted writing on them. Sesshomaru watched Miroku go to the castle and saw a few words, before sticking the papers to the door and it's frame. It calmed the taiyoukai a little but not much, even though he didn't doubt the monk's ability.

Time ticked by, making Sesshomaru even uneasier than his brother. InuYasha was a little surprised at his own calmness. He just had this feeling that Kagome and the pups would be alright.

Eventually, the demon lord could sit still no longer. With a heavy and frustrated sigh, he began pacing. Everyone was a little surprised at this. Rin, who was sitting in between Sango and Miroku with Shippo on her shoulder, watched him.

"Outo-san?" She asked quietly, making Sesshomaru stop his pacing and look to the girl.

"Is okaa-san going to be alright?" Tears came to the girl's eyes and Sango smiled a little, putting an arm around the girl and saving the demon lord to awkwardness.

"Of course she's going to be alright, Rin. She is very strong and before you know it, you'll have some new playmates."

As soon as Sango was finished comforting the girl, two cries of life could be heard. Sesshomaru instantly stopped his pacing and his body yearned to enter the room but he knew of the old healer's wrath and decided not to risk it. When the door opened and the healer appeared, she nodded and Sesshomaru was the first one there and instantly was by his mate's side.

Kagome lay, exhausted and slightly sweaty but still beautiful, with two bundles that were whimpering quietly. He felt like he could fall over at the sight but instead, he sat down and Kagome handed him his son.

The small pup was wrapped in a blue blanket that Kagome had brought back from her time. It was warm and fleecy but still breathable. His mouth was open as he let out a little cry, showing two little fangs, along with silver hair and a pair of silver dog-ears. Sesshomaru smiled a little, giving the child his finger and smiled a little more when he stopped crying and opened his eyes. They were large and round but instead of being golden, they were chocolate brown, just like Kagome's.

Kagome smiled at them and shifted the slightly smaller pup that was wrapped up in a pink blanket, just like her brothers. The pups raven black hair and dog-ears contrasted beautifully with the blanket. She had fangs like her brother but instead of her eyes being chocolate brown, they were a pure golden color, just like Sesshomaru's.

"They're beautiful." Sesshomaru said softly, tracing a claw lightly around his son's face, who promptly tried to bite at the opposing object and nearly succeeded, too. Kagome giggled a little, nodding.

"They need names." He nodded a little, looking at his son and then to his daughter.

"He is certainly more active than she is so I think Kasei would be a good name for him." Kagome said looking at her children. Sesshomaru nodded his agreement, looking to his daughter.

"I think Takara would be a nice name for her." He said softly and Kagome smiled, nodding.

"Kasei and Takara." She said softly, having the twins look at her.

"My pride and joy." Sesshomaru said, equally soft.

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A while later, Kagome had gotten back her strength and was able to walk around a little bit but Sesshomaru was forbidding her to leave their room. Anyone who wanted to see them, could come to them, he'd said.

Rin and Shippo were the first visitors of the others. Both children had wide eyes of amazement. Shippo, being proud to be a big brother three times, had puffed out his chest a little.

Sesshomaru rose a brow at the small kit but didn't say anything. Kagome sat on the bed, holding Kasei while Rin held Takara.

"She's so pretty." Rin had commented and Kagome agreed.

The rest of the group came and went and finally, it was time for everyone to retire to their rooms. Kagome gently laid the pups in the bassinets she had gotten as a baby shower gift during a weekend in her time and returned to her bed with Sesshomaru, yawning a little and cuddling up to her strong demon lord.

"Good night, my Kagome."

"Good night, my Sessho." Kagome smiled at his little private nickname he had allowed her to give him. Sesshomaru smiled back at her and wrapped his arms around her, both new parents falling asleep quickly.

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**A/N: Well, how do you like me now? Haha. This is the middle chapter and I hope everyone likes it. **

**From my sources:**

**Kasei – Born of fire or fire born (same thing, right?)**

**Takara – Treasure; Precious object**

**inufluffy - All three chapters … TODAY! Yay! This is the second of the three and if you get REALLY lucky … I may even make it four! I feel so happy and so inspired! **

**A BIG Thanks To:**

**MysticTenshi**

**KageFaiaKoori Doragon**

**k4g0me**

**Ayume 4 Sesshoumaru**

**Miami Inker**

**Thank you all SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much! This is EXACTLY what I've been missing with everything else I've written! You all rock SO much! I love you all! –Hands out tons of cookies and candy and chocolate-**


	10. Welcome Home

**Chapter Ten**

**Welcome Home**

**Disclaimer: If I ever become an author, I will buy InuYasha and Co. off of its maker!**

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Time had gone by quickly for Kagome and everyone else involved with raising the twins. InuYasha had FINALLY gotten up his courage to tell the girl that he liked her and he was surprised to find out that his feelings were returned. Now, they were a happy little item.

Sango and Miroku had been together for quite some time, nearly five years, Kagome mused. Sango had also given birth to two children in the process. Aki, who was turning five about a month after the twins turned five, was a lot like Miroku minus the lecherous tendencies and Cho, who looked almost exactly like Sango and was headstrong but kind. Cho had just turned four, only a year younger than Takara.

Speaking of the twins, they had grown like bad weeds and they had just had a birthday, well, two if you count the one in her era with her mom, Grandpa and Souta. Kagome smiled, remembering her brother and how big he had gotten since her last trip, which was just a few days before the twins were born. He was in high school now and had a crush on a pretty young girl with big green eyes and firecracker red hair. Kagome met her at the baby shower and they had an instant bond between each other. She would do her brother good, she had decided long ago.

Kagome was packing her big yellow bag with various things with a smile while she hummed a song and reflected on the past five years. Today was the day that she was taking the twins to see their grandma and great grandpa and uncle Souta.

"Mom! Mom!" Two voices said in unison. Kagome chuckled a little, speak of the devils.

"Hey you two. What are you doing in here?" The two children giggled a little, jumping up on the bed and bouncing on it a little.

"Nothing!" Takara said innocently, looking up at her mother with her large golden eyes.

"Are you almost done, mom?" Kasei asked. Kagome laughed a little and closed up her bag after doing a mental double-check and nodded.

"Sure am. Go get your father and then we'll be off." The two scrambled out of the room just as Sesshomaru was entering it. They looked at each other and just shrugged, running out past him and outside. Sesshomaru chuckled a little as he moved to the side and then walked into the room, putting his arms around his mate and nuzzling her gently.

Kagome smiled, leaning back against him as she put her hands on his arms. "We're leaving today." She said softly. Sesshomaru nodded a little and gave a sigh.

"I wish I could go with you, Kagome." Kagome smiled a little, turning to face him.

"I know. I wish you could come, too, but, this is important so you have to take care of it. Besides, when it's all finished and completed, we can always take a trip another time and you'll be with us until we get to the well, anyways."

Sesshomaru smiled. Kagome always knew the right thing to say to cheer him up. "You're right. I spoke with InuYasha this morning and he volunteered himself and the slayer and her family to come." He could see the excitement in his mate's eyes.

"Everyone will be together, traveling again." Sesshomaru nodded a little.

"Except now we'll have some new traveling companions." Kagome giggled a little, nodding.

"We sure will."

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The four children were outside, playing an active little came when the parents came out of castle, bags packed and everything set. The little demon cat they had been playing with, mewed happily, jumping into her owner's arms. Sango smiled a little, petting the cat affectionately.

"Ready, Kelala?" The little cat nodded and jumped down, transforming into her large form. The children's eyes went wide with amazement and shock. Then they turned and saw Jakken who was bringing Ah-Un around and they let out a battle cry and sent Jakken running for his life from the children.

Kagome laughed along with all that was watching. InuYasha rolled his eyes a little, wanting to get going.

"Oy! You kids get over here!"

"Yes, Uncle Inu." They all said together, running over. Kagome smiled and lifted the twins up on Ah-Un just as Rin and Shippo came out.

"It's about time you guys showed up." InuYasha stated impatiently. Shippo rolled his eyes a little. He had grown considerably in the last five years and now was a little taller than Rin, who had also grown about half a foot.

"Learn some patience, InuYasha." InuYasha growled a little but one death glare from Kagome was enough to dilute his fury. _Note to self, kill the squirt later, when Kagome's not around._

Shippo climbed up onto Ah-Un with Rin and sat with his brother and sisters.

Sango, Miroku and their kids climbed onto Kelala who was completely unaffected by the weight.

Kagome stood close to Sesshomaru who formed his youkai cloud and Rin moved to take Ah-Un's reins.

InuYasha crouched down to let his new mate onto his back. As it turns out, it had been Yuri who had been Kagome's handmaiden, who had won over InuYasha's heart for good. Yuri smiled and climbed on, hanging on to her love.

Kagome smiled and Sesshomaru nodded and everyone climbed into the air, except for InuYasha though he was running along the treetops.

Eventually, the younger children had fallen asleep but the two older ones were fast loosing the battle against sleep. Kagome smiled a little, feeling a little tired herself from a long day of traveling, nudged her mate a little who looked that children and nodded, heading down to the ground and the others following suit.

Kagome stepped off the cloud just before Sesshomaru dissipated it, handing the bright yellow backpack over to her who proceeded to get out the required amount of sleeping bags. She was grateful that she had bought more the last time she was in her era. The adults quickly made up beds for the children and placed the sleeping ones in them. Kagome smiled and lit a fire with the firewood Sesshomaru had gathered and the adults sat around it, watching the fire and the young ones sleep, eventually going to sleep themselves.

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Kagome woke early the next morning and sat up, realizing that everyone was still sleeping, even InuYasha and Sesshomaru. She crept about quietly, making the fire again and boiling some water for some hot porridge for everyone. It was a chillier morning but it was still warm, just right for what she was preparing. She quietly got out the bowls and spoons, occasionally stirring the hot meal, cringing every time the fire cracked, looking at the sleeping demons and smiling when she saw that they didn't wake.

Soon after Kagome had started preparing everything, Sesshomaru woke along with the rest of the gang. Kagome smiled at everyone, stirring the porridge.

"Good morning." She called out happily. Some smiled, but the others just grunted a little, not wanting to face the day quite yet.

Soon though, everyone had been fed and Kagome, Sango and Yuri were down by a near-by stream, washing the dishes and everyone back at the camp was getting everything packed up and ready to go again.

Once the women got back, everyone climbed onto their rides and took off, having to stop for bathroom breaks along the way and meals, in which the children would burn off energy.

Two full days of traveling later, they had arrived at the well. Kagome turned to Sesshomaru and gave him a bit of a sad smile. "Just be safe, okay?"

Sesshomaru smiled a little bit, taking his mate into his arms. "I will."

"Promise?" He nodded.

"I promise." Kagome smiled and hugged him tightly.

"Now, you take care of yourself while your there. I will have InuYasha come and check on you when I can, alright?" InuYasha, upon hearing the comment was about to say something but Yuri stopped him and he just glared at the ground with his arms crossed.

"I will." Kagome let him go, moving to the others while Sesshomaru knelt down to his youngest children who quickly clambered into his arms.

"You two behave for your okaa-san, do I make myself clear?" They nodded.

"Yes, Father." They said in unison. Kagome had finished saying good-bye to everyone and after a kiss from her mate, she picked up her bag before dumping it into the well. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at everyone before scooping up her children in her arms and jumping in, just like before.

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The two children's eyes went wide as the floating feeling came to them. It was like … breathing underwater, they decided. At first they were a little scared but then, it began getting exciting. Before they knew it, though, the ride was over and they moaned a little in protest.

Kagome laughed a little and watched her children climb up the ladder slowly. Kagome grabbed her heavy bag and began climbing the ladder as well. Managing to pull it up with a crash, Kagome shook her head a little and then stood, brushing her kimono off.

Just then, the well house door flew open and her grandfather appeared and began flinging scrolls at them.

"Demons be gone!" He yelled and Kagome quickly blocked any further scrolls.

"Grandpa, stop that, now!" The elderly man blinked a little, squinting to see his grand daughter.

"Kagome? Is that you? Who is that with you?" Kagome sighed a little.

"Of course it's me, grandpa! Don't you remember Kasei and Takara?" She put a hand on each of her children's heads that were clinging to their mother's kimono, looking at the old man with fear.

The elderly man squinted again and then smiled. "Oh! Kasei! Takara! I remember now! Welcome home, Kagome!" Kagome looked past him when she heard another male voice.

"Gramps, what are you doing at the well house?"

"Oh! Souta, come and help me! Your sister as returned with two of her demon friends!" Souta gave his grandfather a look and then stepped up and smiled.

"Hey, Kagome. Gramps, they're not her friends, they're her kids!" Souta bopped him lightly on the head with a sigh but turned his attention back to Kagome and his niece and nephew.

Kagome smiled back. "Hey Souta. Kids, this your uncle Souta. Give me a hand, will you?" Souta nodded and grabbed her bag with a little difficulty though he would never admit it.

Once they got into the main house, Kagome smiled, taking in the familiar scene before her. Everything was just how she remembered, nothing had changed a bit.

"Mom? I'm here!" A woman who looked a little like Kagome stepped out of the kitchen and smiled. Her hair was slightly gray and she had a few laugh lines but other than that, she was aging beautifully.

"Kagome! Oh, it's been so long!" She spotted the children and smiled. "And these must two must be Kasei and Takara." Kagome nodded a little.

"Guys, this is your grandma. She's my mom." Slowly, as the two little hanyous detached themselves from their mother, they began looking around a little.

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Kagome smiled a little as she watched her two children cuddle up together in the spare bedroom, which was a mix between Kagome and Souta's room. They always looked so angelic when they slept. Smiling a little more, Kagome leaned down and kissed them while they slept, gently pulling the covers up a little further.

Walking to the door, Kagome stood in the doorway and smiled a little again. "Goodnight my darlings." She said softly before closing the door and going up to her own room, opening the door to a very good rush of familiarity.

Getting changed into her pajamas, Kagome crawled into bed after turning her lamp off and sighed a little.

"Home sweet home." She said before drifting off to sleep.

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**A/N: Well … this is the third chapter –claps- I was originally going to call it 'The Well' but I changed it because … it's going to be the next chapter –evil laugh- I'm not giving out any hints this time –another evil laugh-**

**Silver Volken Raven – I really don't know how long I'll make this story. I really like long stories, personally so I'm aiming for 30 + chapters –smiles- I have faith in you! In fact … I shall go and read your stories now!**

**A BIG THANK YOU TO:**

**My Seto**

**crystal18111994**

**Thanks again, you guys. You guys are so awesome … -sniffles- I will not cry …**


	11. The Well

**Chapter Eleven**

**The Well**

**Disclaimer: I think everyone gets the hint about not owning InuYasha –eye roll-**

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Kagome woke up with a feeling of nausea, desperately trying to fight it to make it leave so she could get on with sleeping but her stomach wasn't listening and she slammed the bathroom door, shoving Souta out of her way.

Souta blinked a little bit and slowly opened the door to see his older sister emptying her stomach contents into the toilet. A frown crossed his features and he went in, crouching down, rubbing his sister's back.

"Sis, are you alright?" Kagome moaned a little. Souta sighed a little.

"I'll go get mom." With that, he left.

A few minutes later, Kagome had finished and felt better but not that great. Her mother came into the bathroom, two sets of curious eyes following her actions. They watched as their grandmother put some kind of strange object in their mother's mouth and felt her forehead.

They recognized that their grandmother was checking their mother for a fever since they had it done to them a few times. After a few minutes, a beeping sound made them jump and Kagome chuckled a little.

"Well, you don't have a fever." Her mother stated with a slightly suspicious frown.

"It's back to bed for you, though. Just to be on the safe side." Kagome nodded, too tired to argue. She fell asleep quickly and the older woman gently shoved the two younger children outside.

"Play outside until breakfast is ready." She told them sweetly, even providing them with a blue and pink ball to play with, much to their delight.

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The next morning was pretty much the same routine and Kagome was beginning to get a little suspicious. She was a smart girl and she was smart enough to learn from past experiences. Instead of staying in bed all day like she did yesterday, she dressed herself and even took a shower.

She met her mother in the kitchen and smiled. "Could you watch them for a little bit? I just have to run to the store really quickly." Her mom smiled and nodded a little, suspicious herself, having gone through two pregnancies already.

"Alright dear. Do you think you could stomach something light?" Kagome shook her head; just the smell of food was making her feel sick again.

"Sorry mom, I'll try and eat something later today." Her mother nodded and Kagome kissed her twins goodbye before heading to the store.

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Sometime later, Kagome paced the floor of the bathroom, watching the stick suspiciously. _C'mon, c'mon! Hurry! The waiting is killing me!_

Finally, something began appearing on it and she snatched it up and dropped it, leaning against the door for support. It was … positive. That meant … she was pregnant again! Quickly cleaning up, Kagome ran down the hall and the stairs, into the kitchen.

"Mom! Mom!" Her mother looked up from her cookbook and smiled, laughing a little.

"Congratulations, honey." Kagome paused.

"You knew?" This caused the older woman to laugh again.

"Kagome, I'm your mother and now I'm a grandmother. It's my job to know these things." Kagome smiled a little, nodding.

"I have to go tell everyone at the castle!" She called, running out to the well house and running down the stairs and jumping into the well. She was surprised when she hit solid ground. She frowned and did this a couple times over.

Panic began rising up in her. She couldn't get through. The well wasn't working anymore. Why wasn't the well working anymore? Her mind cried desperately. In a complete fit of desperation, she began digging but quickly tired of it and just broke down, kneeling in the well, sobbing.

Souta heard this and entered the well house, walking down the steps. "Sis?" He heard a desperate sob and looked into the well, a little surprised to see his sister down there.

"Kagome, what are you doing down there? Why are you crying?" He climbed in himself and crouched down in front of his sister, only to put his arms around her and have her clutch his shirt.

"Souta … the well … it's not working anymore … I can't get through … I can't see him … I can't go back … "

Souta kept his calm demeanor and hugged his sister tighter. He really had no idea why the well wasn't working and he didn't know if he could say anything to comfort her so he just held her shaking and sobbing body, not saying anything.

"It's okay, Kagome. We'll figure it out somehow. You've always been able to get back before so this shouldn't be a problem." Kagome only continued to sob, it seemed that she had started to cry even harder. Souta frowned and wondered if he had said something wrong.

_What am I going to do? If I can't get through, how am I going to tell Sesshomaru and everyone else that I'm pregnant again? How am I going to be able to raise three kids on my own? I can't do this on my own! I can't! I can't! I can't!_

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Kagome sat outside, on the bench under the sacred tree, with Kasei and Takara sitting on either side of her, both with their heads in their mother's lap, sleeping. Kagome was staring off into space as she gently stroked their hair. How was she going to do this? Her family couldn't take on three other family members permanently, it just wasn't financially possible …

Souta and grandpa were in the well house, trying all sorts of things that she knew wouldn't work. None of grandpa's charms or sutras or anything like that of his had ever work. She sighed, looking down at her children. It had only been a few days since she had both discovered that she was pregnant again with great joy and discovered that the well was "broked", as her daughter like to call it, with great sadness. Slowly, a realization that didn't make Kagome feel any better but almost renewed her determination came to her.

She would just have to take a job and find an apartment somewhere and live like normal people. Only … they weren't normal. Soon, she was going to have three hanyou's on her hands and she couldn't afford to home school them, especially if she was holding a full time job …

Kagome sighed again, looking up at the beautiful sky through the branches and leaves of the sacred tree. She didn't have a choice, she had to do it.

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The next morning, once Kagome had gotten over her morning sickness, she had a shower and put on her smartest clothes. That night she had typed up a resume, which was difficult since all she had been doing for the like nearly ten years was going back and fourth between here and the feudal era where she would sit InuYasha, bathe and talk with Sango, look after Shippo and fight demons. She had decided that it needed to be stretched a little

After she brushed her long hair and let her mother do a smart braid, she gathered her resumes in a folder and went downstairs, putting on her shoes. She smiled a little, crouching down and kissing her children.

"Alright, I'm off. I'll see you guys for dinner, alright?" Her mother nodded and waved.

Kagome waved back and was soon out of sight. Sighing a little, Kagome steeled herself and began rehearsing her prepared speeches that she was going to give prospective employers.

She literally went everywhere. She went to bookstores, coffee shops, candy stores, hospitals, grocery stores, and fast food restaurants. She had even tried her luck at various clothing shops and a couple ice cream parlors. She was very thankful that the majority of the people somehow saw her dilemma or something of it and agreed to give her a private pre-employed trial run and a couple of them even paid her out of their own pockets for her time and effort.

Kagome wanted to tell them to keep their money but she really couldn't afford it at the moment so she gracefully but guiltily accepted it. Everyone had accepted her resume and either said that they would keep it in mind or put it on file. She had gotten a couple hits, though. A local coffee shop near some decent apartments was hiring and she instantly got accepted there.

A local clothing store, just across the street from the coffee shop said that she was just in time because they were hiring for part time and were pretty desperate for people. Kagome had wanted full time but she decided that part time was better than no time so she graciously accepted.

She returned back to her mother's home, tired and hungry with an armload of stuff for her new jobs. She was sure that she could stay at her mother's until she got a place of her own, her mother even said that it was all right.

Walking in the door, Kagome sighed and gratefully took her shoes off and walked into the kitchen just to see Souta setting the table for dinner. He looked up at his sister and just before he could even get a word in, two little blurs nearly knocked him over they went past.

Kagome smiled, setting her things down and hugging her children. At least she wasn't alone.

"Were you guys good for grandma today?" They nodded and began telling different stories of the day at the same time. Kagome laughed, holding up her hands.

"One at a time, one at a time!" She said with a smile. They smiled too and Kasei went first.

"We got to go to the park today with Uncle Souta, mom!" Takara nodded in agreement.

"Yeah! And we got to see ducks and Kasei caught a frog but I didn't want to touch his slimy frog so I tried to catch a duck but it went into the water and grandma said I couldn't go into the water but Kasei got to keep his slimy frog until it was time to go." She pouted a little, reminding Kagome so much of herself at that age.

"Hey! My frog wasn't slimy! It was cool!" Kasei defended.

"It was not!"

"It was too!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Okay … time for dinner everyone!" Kagome broke in with a smile, knowing how long the argument could go on for. The kids ran to their seats at the dinner table as everyone else took theirs.

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After dinner and a bath, Kagome tucked the twins in with a story of a miko who fell down a well so very long ago …

Once they were asleep, Kagome smiled and tucked the blankets in around them and turned out the lamp, looking at them once more before closing the door. Kagome went into the kitchen to retrieve her dumped belongings, grateful that it was still a few days before she started her job.

"Are you sure you want to do this, dear?" Kagome's mother asked from the kitchen table. Kagome looked up and sighed a little, leaving her belongings and sitting down across from her mother and accepting the cup of tea she offered.

"I have to do this, mom. I don't know why the well isn't working and I doubt that there's anyone in this time that can even fix it, much less comprehend how a simple well can, well could, transport me 500 years in the past." Her mother nodded a little, understanding where her daughter was coming from.

"Well, you know I'll help you in whatever way I can." Kagome nodded.

"I know. Thanks mom." After a minute of just sipping tea, Kagome set her cup down. "Are you able to take them again tomorrow?"

A frown came across her mother's features. "I'm sorry I can't, Kagome. I have a very long list of errands to run with grandpa and Souta is in school all day tomorrow and he has kendo practice after school until dinner at least." Kagome sighed heavily, nodding.

"It's all right. I'm just glad and grateful that you've been able to look after them as much as you have." Drinking the rest of her tea, Kagome set her empty cup in the sink and gave a little smile.

"I'll just have to take them with me tomorrow."

"Are you sure, Kagome? I could always ask one of the neighbors you know." Kagome smiled at her mother's willingness and shook her head.

"No, it's alright. Anyways, I should turn in now since I've got such a long day ahead of me." Her mother nodded.

"Alright, dear. Good night."

"Night, Mom." She said before climbing the stairs to her room.

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**A/N: Okay … now you know about the well being "broke" lol … I just had to throw that in there. It was too cute … along with the cute and funny argument between the twins. Also, I'm sorry that they're not overly mentioned in this chapter … actually … come to think of it, they were in almost every part of this chapter, haha … shows how much I know. Anyways, now you can see how Kagome fairs with two hanyou's who have never seen the business or really any other modern part of Tokyo before, while looking for an apartment.**

**A big thank you to all of my reviewers!**


	12. Tokyo: Beautiful Yet Dangerous

**Chapter Twelve**

**Tokyo: Beautiful Yet Dangerous**

**Disclaimer: How many times do I have to tell you stupid lawyer people that I don't own InuYasha! Idiots! All of you!**

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Kagome woke up with the same routine; barf until you can't barf anymore into the toilet, eat breakfast (or lack there of), get the twins up, get them breakfast, have a shower, get dressed, and get the twins dressed. Normally, she would have some kind of help with this but this morning, everyone was busy preparing for his or her own busy days so Kagome was multitasking a lot. It really helped that they were co-operating, in which Kagome was very grateful for.

Right before they were going out the door, Kagome knelt down to their eye level. "Okay, let's go over this one more time. What do you do when I'm talking to someone?"

"Stay by your side and don't interrupt." Takara said proudly. Kagome smiled, nodding.

"Good. What do you when we're walking down the street?"

"Hang onto your clothes or your hands and don't talk to anyone we don't know!" Kasei exclaimed, earning another beautiful smile from his mother.

"Very good. Now, if someone you don't know offers you something, what do you do?"

They thought for a minute and then a light bulb came on in Takara's mind.

"Don't take it for any reason unless you say it's okay and if they try and get you to go somewhere with them, don't and come back to the shrine." Kagome smiled, clapping her hands together and hugging her children.

"You guys are great! Okay, now let's go!" Kagome double checked everything and locked the door with her children taking her hands and walking into busy Tokyo.

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The twins were looking around with awe and amazement. Everything was so big and so pretty. It was tempting just to let go and stare at the huge buildings. Kasei had shifted his hand from his mother's to hanging onto the handle of her shoulder purse. He remembered to hold on tightly while he was looking around. His sister was looking at all the people, her nose twitching a little with all the different smells.

Kagome was looking at a piece of paper with some writing that she had in her hand and was looking around as they walked, seeming to be lost in thought. Finally, she found it and then rung in the numbers and a voice on the other end of the black box made the kids jump. Kagome smiled a little, putting a hand on their heads, reassuring them that it was all right.

"Hello, I'm Kagome Higurashi. I'm here to see Natsume Osaka." There was another buzzing noise and the door was unlocked. Kagome reached up and opened it, ushering her children inside and letting the door close behind her.

The elevator door opened and a few people came out, one of them being a young woman who was smiling brightly. Kagome wasn't picturing someone so young and radiant so she stood patiently.

"Kagome Higurashi?" She asked. Kagome looked up and blushed a little.

"Yes, I am she. I'm so sorry, I wasn't expecting someone so … um … so … " Kagome blushed again as her words left her. Thankfully, the young woman seemed to find it flattering as she laughed.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I get that all the time." She noticed the twins who were clinging to their mother, fear in their eyes and Takara's thumb in her mouth as she looked at the woman. She recognized the voice from the one in the box and figured it to be some sort of box nymph.

"Oh, are these your children?" Kagome nodded and the young woman named Natsume knelt down. "Aren't you two just the most adorable little things I've ever seen!" She smiled at them, her blonde tresses falling over her shoulder and her blue eyes sparkling a little. Takara thought she was a very pretty lady, one of the prettiest she'd ever seen and almost as pretty as her mother.

Natsume then produced two lollipops for them with a smile. The children looked from the strange objects and then looked up at their mother who smiled and nodded. Kasei, being the bolder of the two, reached out and slowly took one, Takara doing the same.

Kagome smiled a little, kneeling down and taking the plastic off and handing them to them again. Kagome stood again as well as Natsume and smiled.

"I trust you're here about the apartment?" Natsume asked with a smile.

Kagome nodded. "I am, yes."

"Well, c'mon, let's go." Kagome nodded and they began following her, the twins looking around curiously and even a little timidly when they looked around the elevator. When it began moving suddenly, they clutched Kagome tightly, a small whimper coming from Takara. Kagome soothingly rubbed one of her ears and the elevator stopped.

Natsume lead them all out and down the hall. After about a minute, she stopped at a door and opened it with a key. She let Kagome and the twins go in first and she followed, closing the door. Kagome looked around, approving so far. Everything looked okay.

"What do you think? It's a two bedroom with only one bathroom but you've got your own individual sundeck." Kagome nodded and walked around the apartment a little more. The more she saw, the more she approved.

"Are there other people with children here?" Kagome asked. Another reason for choosing to look at these apartments was that there was a good school system just down the street. Kagome could easily walk them there and pick them up after work and once they got older, they could easily stay home on their own.

Natsume nodded. "Oh yes. There are many parents here with young children about their age. In fact, there's another little boy and girl just a few doors down the hall." Kagome smiled and nodded.

Once they had gotten back down to the lobby, she received the paperwork and a friendly smile. Walking out of the apartment, Kagome folded the papers and put them into her shoulder purse and looked down at her children.

"Well, are you guys hungry?" They're eyes widened a little and they nodded vigorously.

"Alright. We'll go get some pizza."

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Kagome, Kasei and Takara were sitting on a picnic bench, eating their pizza and Kagome had gotten soda for herself and juice for the twins. Kasei quickly finished his, hopping off the bench.

"Mom, can I go play with the birds?" Kagome smiled and nodded.

"Don't go too far, though."

"Okay! I won't!" He ran off, chasing the pigeons happily. He would sneak up on them and try and catch them but they were always too fast for him. Kagome watched him and laughed, turning her attention to the flowers and the sky, beginning to daydream a little.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …Kagome's dream… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

She had just gotten through the well and was now back in the feudal era with her friends and with her beloved mate.

Sesshomaru had been waiting at the well for their return and the minute he smelt them, he jumped down and grabbed her bags, flinging them up over the well and picking up Kagome and his children, he jumped the well also.

Kagome smiled at him and sighed a little, putting her arms around him and feeling his arms go around her. He tipped her face up and gently pressed a kiss down onto her lips. A very happy Kagome leaned against him and smiled when the kiss ended.

"Sesshomaru, I missed you so much."

"Kagome, I missed you too, all of you. I couldn't go a day without worrying and wondering and trying." Kagome smiled at him.

"I've got some good news for you."

"What is it?"

"I'm pregnant again." Sesshomaru looked at her and she smiled, nodding. Smiling, he scooped her up and twirled her around a little before setting her down on her feet again and kissing her again.

"I love you, Kagome."

"I love you, too, Sessho."

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Kagome looked up and her eyes focused on Kasei and fear slammed into her. Dropping everything, she stood up only to find herself frozen in the spot.

"KASEI!" She shouted just before a loud screech could be heard. All Kagome could hear was her own heart pounding as she watched her son stop in the middle of a busy street, his eyes go wide with fear just seconds before the car slammed into his small body.

Kagome watched him as the force of the impact sent him flying towards the cars windshield and then rolled his body off the still moving car and then finally have it slump on the sidewalk in a twisted way. Everything was in slow motion for Kagome as she ran towards her son. Why couldn't she go any faster? Why couldn't she hear anything but her own heartbeat?

Everything returned to Kagome full force and she ran to Kasei and knelt down, picking up his bloody and bruised and broken little body. Tears streamed down her face and her body shook.

"Kasei. Kasei its mom. It's mom, honey, wake up." He didn't move and Kagome began panicking as she looked around.

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP! SOMEBODY CALL 911!" She screamed and people that had been standing around quickly got out their cell phone. Kagome held her son's body in her arms, sobbing hysterically.

The ambulance arrived and they put Kasei on a stretcher, doing various things to him. They allowed Kagome and Takara to ride in the back with him. Half way to the ambulance, he began to go in cardiac arrest. Machines started beeping wildly and the paramedic began working at stopping the bleeding and yelled at his partner to hurry up.

Kagome could only sit there and watch in horror. Was she going to lose him?

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**A/N: Oh! Bad cliffy! –Evil laugh- Now the question remains; **

**Will our beloved Kasei make it?**

**You'll have to stay tuned to find out! I'm feeling especially generous and it is currently going to be 2 am in about 20 minutes. I hope you all feel special even after I just left you on the worst cliffhanger of the entire story! –Another evil laugh-**

**A BIG THANKS TO ALL MY REVIEWERS!**


	13. Kasei and Takara

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Kasei and Takara**

**Disclaimer: If I owned InuYasha, I wouldn't be writing, I'd be reading**

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Kagome sat in the waiting room, a sleeping Takara beside her, using one of the small pillows that were found around the room. She had phoned her mother but that had been hours ago, around late lunch, early dinner. Now, it was dark out and the only natural light was the moon.

Sighing, she leaned back, resting her head against the wall, closing her eyes and willing herself not to start crying again. Squeezing her eyes shut, she eventually opened them again and looked at Takara. At least it had been slightly easier on her daughter, she guessed. She wasn't really sure what was happening and she didn't know where they were going or why there was a man shouting at the other man. Kagome sighed again, gently smoothing back her daughter's hair.

Turning to the doorway, she saw her mom, grandpa and Souta. Kagome stood and was instantly enveloped in her mother's arms and finally, she couldn't hold her tears back anymore. Clutching at her mother's shirt, she sobbed even harder than she had sobbed when she found out that the well wasn't working and she couldn't return to her Sesshomaru. Her mother just rocked her daughter a little, stroking her hair and humming, whispering reassuring words.

When Kagome had finally stopped crying, she was sitting next to her mother still and looked over when her mother gave her hand a squeeze. Kagome forced a smile and looked back to Takara who was stirring from her sleep. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and yawned, showing her fangs.

"Grandma? Mom?" Kagome smiled a little, taking the child into her arms.

"Hey, you. Did you have a good sleep?" The girl nodded her head a little and finally spoke what was troubling her.

"Is Kasei going to be okay?" Everyone looked at each other and Kagome's mom answered it for her. Crouching down in front of the young girl, she gave her a cheery smile.

"I'm sure he's going to be find. You're strong and he's strong." Takara nodded a little and looked up to see a strange man with green clothes on. What was it with this world and people wearing strange clothes?

"Kagome Higurashi?" Kagome nodded and handed Takara to her mother, walking over to the doctor.

"Your son has suffered many fractures and has a concussion. There was some internal bleeding but thank fully nothing too serious. We would like to keep him in the intensive care unit until morning." Kagome nodded a little.

"Of course. Can we go see him?" The doctor nodded, giving her the directions. She was thankful that he didn't mention the dog-ears and the fangs. Once he left, Kagome went back to the group and picked her daughter up.

"They said that he should be fine but they're going to keep a good eye on him during the night. They say that if he's better in the morning then they'll move him out of the ICU." Her mother nodded a little.

"You go ahead and see him. We'll go down to the cafeteria and grab something to eat." Kagome nodded and walked to his room.

Opening the door, she could see him hooked up to all kinds of machines and there were various things attached to him. One of his wrists was in the plastic splint or a brace, she couldn't tell which and there was a cast on one of his legs. There was also a bandage around his other hand and his silver hair was matted with dry blood. One of his ears also had a bandage on it; some blood slowly seeping through to became barely visible underneath the bandage.

Kagome's breath caught and she pulled a chair up to his bedside. The sight of him this way made her hurt. She gently took the hand that was closest to them which, thankfully, wasn't the one with the brace thing on it. A small whimper drifted to Kagome's ears and her eyes filled up with tears and she lightly kissed his hand, rubbing it a little.

"Hey baby, I'm here now. You're going to be alright." Takara's ears went down and she crawled up onto her brother's bed, looking at him. He looked really bad …

Slowly, she lay down and Kagome gently rubbed one of her ears the way she liked it.

A while later, Kasei still hadn't woken up and Takara had fallen asleep next to her brother, the beeping sound slowly lulling her to sleep. Kagome sighed a little, sitting back in the chair and looking at the clock that read three a.m.

Kagome's mom came into the room and smiled a little, putting a blanket around Kagome's shoulders. "It's probably not as bad as it looks." Kagome nodded a little, rising.

"Can you watch them for a minute? I want to go get some coffee and something to eat."

The other woman smiled. "Of course."

Kagome smiled back, feeling a little better for the first time in days. "Thanks mom."

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Kagome made herself her twelfth cup of coffee in just that hour. It was the only thing that calmed her nerves right then and it was the only thing that was keeping her awake since it was now going on four in the morning and any sane person would be sleeping by now.

Kasei had woken up around three-thirty and was alert for about ten minutes before loosing the battle against the medication that kept most of the pain at bay. The doctor informed her that it was a good thing that he had woken up because now they had ruled out any possibility of brain damage or a coma.

Sighing, she wrapped her hands around her coffee and looked out the picture windows at the city below them. It would certainly take some getting used to again, seeing all these lights and the people and the high-tech things and ways of life.

Souta came up beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Kasei's up again and he's asking for you." Kagome nodded and smiled at her brother.

"Thanks, Souta." He smiled at her and gave her a hug.

"We're family and family sticks together." Kagome smiled at him and nodded.

"Yes … they do …"

Walking into her son's room, he was growling at the nurses that wanted to check his heart rate or something. Kagome sighed a little.

"Kasei." His ears perked up and he ignored the pain that the action caused him and his chocolate brown eyes rested on his mother.

"Mom!" Kagome smiled a little, walking up to his bedside.

"Lay back at let the nurses do their job, Kasei." He sulked a little but sighed, laying back and letting them change his bandages, only to find that his wounds were nothing but mere scratches. Kagome noticed this and a wave of relief washed over her when she remembered the healing rates of hanyous and youkai. They were always faster healers than humans.

The doctor came in and looked at Kasei with a little amazement. "Well, you seem to be the fasted healer this hospital has ever seen. I daresay that we could probably discharge you tomorrow sometime." By this time, Takara had woken up and she looked into her brother's eyes and he looked into hers and they both made disgusted faces. They had no idea what 'discharged' meant but it didn't sound very pleasing!

Kagome smiled when she saw this. "That means that you'll probably be able to come home sometime tomorrow." The twin's eyes lit up and they celebrated.

The doctor shook his head a little and left the room along with the nurses. The nurses came back a few minutes later and pulled out a small bed with a pillow and a blanket on it.

"You can stay in here tonight." One of them said with a smile. Kagome saw this and then looked to them and smiled gratefully.

"Thank you so much." They bowed politely and left the room. Kagome let out a yawn and climbed onto the bed. Oh how she had wanted to feel this all day today.

"Mom?" Kagome looked at her daughter's face and smiled.

"Yes, you can sleep with Kasei if you want." A smile came to the girl's face and she instantly cuddled with her brother who cuddled back. Kagome waited until they were asleep before letting herself fall asleep as well.

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Kagome woke up to voices talking and opened her eyes, seeing her twins talking about something and looking at her. Giving a yawn, Kagome slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes and stretching. It was about nine in the morning and Kagome groaned silently. She had only gotten about four and a half hours of sleep but she was still grateful that Kasei looked so much better and he was wiggling his toes that were sticking out of the cast for his sister, indicating that his leg probably wasn't broken anymore.

Takara giggled a little bit and looked up at him. "Does it hurt, Kasei?" He shook his head.

"Nah. Nothing hurts right now except for this bandage." He reached up and pulled the bandage off his ear, wincing a little as it pulled some of the fur with it. But he wiggled it and there was nothing there, not even a scratch. Kagome smiled a little and looked up when there was a breakfast tray that was rolled into the room.

Kasei's eyes went large and the smell of foods wafted to his sensitive nose. "Wow! I get to have that?" The nurse laughed a little, taking a tray on wheels and placing his food tray on it. There was bacon and scrambled eggs and toast and hash browns and his choice of orange or apple juice. There was also jell-o for dessert.

Kagome laughed a little, standing up. "What do you say, Kasei?"

"Thank you!" He chirped happily at the nurse who smiled and looked to Kagome and laughed a little.

"It looks like you've seen better nights." Kagome smiled and nodded, feeling her spirits being lifted by just being with this woman.

"Your children are absolutely adorable and very charming." Kagome smiled again, laughing lightly at Kasei who was entertaining his sister with balancing acts.

"Thank you." The woman looked at her watch and gave Kagome another smile.

"Well, I have to get going otherwise there will be some hungry patients around here!" Kagome waved a little when she waved from the doorway and stretched.

"Are you hungry, Takara?" The girl looked up at her and nodded. Kagome smiled a little.

"Alright, you stay with Kasei and I'll go and get us some breakfast."

"Okay, Mom!"

Kagome left the room and wandered down to the cafeteria to find a very good breakfast banquet going on. Grabbing two plates, she began picking things and placing them on and then took a tea for herself and an apple juice for Takara.

Once it was paid for, Kagome took it upstairs and handed a plate and the juice to Takara who happily munched away. Kagome smiled and began feeling better once she got some food into her system.

Kasei looked up from his meal to see the doctor and blinked at his clothes. This one only the second time he'd seen the doctor while fully conscious and he was just noticing his weird clothes. He seemed friendly enough, though.

"Well, good morning, Kasei. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Great! Can I go home now?" The doctor laughed a little.

"In a little while. How is your leg doing?" Kasei blinked a little.

"Fine. See, I can wiggle my toes!" The doctor raised a brow.

"Really? Does it hurt when you move it?" Kasei shook his head and then the doctor got out a pocketknife and cut through the cast, eventually pulling it off.

"I can't be for certain until some x-rays are taken but it defiantly doesn't look or feel broken." All the while the doctor was probing his leg, Kasei just sat there, a slight look of confusion on his face but no pain at all. Kagome smiled a little, nodding.

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Finally, Kagome was home, her home away from home anyways. She was giving the twins a bath and she agreed to let them play a little while she went and fixed lunch for everyone except Souta since he was in school.

She was again, thankful for the rapid healing time of hanyous and youkai. Since she had been in the feudal era for so long, the twins didn't have medical plans or anything like that and hospitals were a bit expensive so she was again glad that they healed much faster than humans. With injuries like he had, he could have been in the hospital for weeks if he wasn't a half demon.

She walked back into the bathroom and smiled, crossing her arms and grabbing two towels. "Alright you two, hop on out."

They complained a little but Kasei stood up and Kagome scooped him up in a towel, furiously drying his silver hair, making him giggle a little. She set him down with the towel wrapped around him and grabbed Takara before she could get away.

The girl squealed happily, laughing as her mother dried her body and then her hair. Finally, Kagome picked up Kasei and walked to their temporary bedroom and dumped them on the bed in a fit of giggles and began attacking their sides with her fingers, knowing that they were both ticklish.

After a tickling fest, they were dressed and heading out for lunch. Later that day, Kagome watched them play outside. After yesterday, she wasn't taking any chances and was determined to keep them close and out of danger.

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**A/N: Well … now you all know what happens to Kasei! He's okay, folks!**

**One Huge Insane Thank You To Every Last One Of My Reviewers!**

**You guys really make writing this story all worthwhile! I love that what I write makes everyone happy. By the way MysticTenshi you can never scare me lol. I am fearless! Grrr! Haha! Yeah right! Anyways … THANKS EVERYONE! I LOVE YOU ALL!**


	14. Discovering the Past

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Discovering the Past**

**Disclaimer: If I owned InuYasha then I would take Mr. Sesshy and have him all to myself!**

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Kagome was hustling back and fourth in the house. It's not that she had a lot of stuff; it's just that she had managed to buy quite a few things for her new apartment. A lot of things like furniture and such, her mother and their neighbors had donated other things like that to her.

The twins were inside, playing with the cat and she had entrusted Souta with the job since it was Saturday. She began helping one of her neighbor's with lifting a couch into the back of a truck and then moved to help tie down another load.

Her mother was in the kitchen, busy preparing lunch for everyone since they were working so hard. She smiled when she heard the sounds of the children beginning to get bored. She didn't move from inside the kitchen though, figuring that her son could handle it.

"Uncle Souta, we're bored!" Takara whined, pulling at his sleeve. Souta sighed a little bit and he racked his brain for what would entertain them. What did little kids like? Oh! Stories! Little kids loved stories! Souta smiled at them.

"Would you two like me to tell you a story?" Their eyes went wide and they quickly scampered to sit beside him on the couch, one child on either side of him.

"Well, one day there was this family, kind of like ours. There was a mom, a grandpa, a boy and a girl. The boy and the girl were brother and sister though the girl was older than the boy so that made her his older sister. They also lived at a shrine like ours and they had a cat, too!"

Kagome passed the living room and stopped for a minute to hear Souta's story and smiled, continuing on with helping the neighbors get everything together to move.

"The brother, as brave as he was, didn't like the old well house because it sort of scared him. He couldn't see very well and there was sometimes strange noises going on inside of it. One day, the brother was looking for their cat named Buyo. He looked every where except for the well house so he went up the stairs and slowly opened the door, poking his head in, calling for the cat. He could hear some weird noises that were making him a little scared and he looked outside and saw his older sister just leaving for school. He quickly told her about their cat and she agreed to go further inside the old, creepy well house to look for the cat. She quickly found the cat but not before he scared both of them out of their wits! He watched his brave older sister as she picked up their cat and just before she was going to walk up the steps to the door, the sealed well burst open with a blue light!"

The twins were completely captivated by their uncle's story, not knowing that it was actually true and it had happened the very day that Kagome had gone down the well for the very first time. Souta smiled a little, remembering that day. It was so long ago but he could remember every single detail, on his part anyways.

"There were what looked like arms coming out of the well and the grabbed the boy's older sister and dragged her down into the well with the blue light. The boy got scared and ran back inside with the cat. The girl, however, turned around and saw a giant demon!

'Give me the Shikon Jewel!' She demanded. The girl was completely clueless on what the demon was talking about. She thought that the Jewel of Four Souls was just a legend or a myth! She tried to get away and finally she covered the demon's face with her hand and yelled,

'Let me go!' Just before a bright pink light came from her hand, sending her falling down the well faster. Soon, she reached solid ground and she was excited because she thought that she must have hit her head or something and completely dreamed that whole thing. She quickly climbed out of the well and looked around a little. She couldn't figure out where she was because, wherever she was, it wasn't home. There were no buildings, no cement, no cars, just grass, trees, bushes and flowers.

'Toto, I don't think we're in Tokyo anymore.' She said while she looked around a little. But then, she spotted the sacred tree and she excitedly ran towards it, thinking that once she got to the tree, she would easily be able to find her way home from there. Instead, however, when she reached the tree she saw a boy with dog-ears, long silver hair and wearing a red hiori that was pinned to a tree and had some vines wrapped around his body. At first, she didn't know what to make of the dog-eared boy so she slowly approached him and climbed onto one of the very large roots of the tree and reached up and rubbed his ears like so." He reached down and rubbed an ear on each twin, earning giggles from them.

"Go on, Uncle Souta, finish the story." Kasei encouraged. Kagome was standing in the doorway of the living room, her arms crossed and a smile on her face as she leaned against the frame. Souta looked up at his sister and smiled.

"Another time, kids. We're leaving now." This was followed by protests and whines. Kagome shook her head.

"Hurry and say good-bye to Uncle Souta so you can say good-bye to grandma and great gramps." They frowned a little but hugged Souta and hopped down, running into the kitchen and hugging their grandmother's legs before running off and tackling their great gramps down and hugging him and taking off towards their mother.

Kagome smiled a little and then took their hands, walking out to the waiting car. She had already said her good-byes. While letting the kids climb into the back before her, she rested a hand on the door and looked back at the shrine, a light breeze blowing her hair back towards it. Kagome sighed a little and climbed in.

Along the ride, she watched the passing scenery and began to wonder if she'd ever see Sesshomaru or InuYasha or any of them ever again …

With another sigh, Kagome looked up at the bright blue sky with their white puffy clouds.

_I love you, Sesshomaru. I miss you. I want to see you again. I want to feel your touch again. I want to come back to you …_

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It was now late afternoon, nearly dinnertime and Kagome was waiting for the pizza to arrive. Her sickness had permanently passed and she could go back to eating again. She had also begun to get a little heavier but she still hadn't broken the news to the twins yet.

Speaking of the twins, they were sitting on the counter, handing Kagome various plates and bowls and cups and silverware. They had hooked everything electrical up and already had electricity in the apartment, which was good because it was beginning to get dark and Kagome didn't want to dig out candles quite yet.

Once most of everything they would need for the kitchen was put in it's rightful place, Kagome smiled and the twins hopped down from the counter, stacking the empty boxes and putting them in a corner. They stopped and then dashed for the door with a quick shout that the pizza was here. They waited at the door impatiently and Kagome smiled.

Soon, the pizza was no more than a memory in the form of an empty box in the trash. She helped the twins with their bath and brushing their teeth and they quickly got changed and crawled into their bunk beds that had been so graciously donated to them.

"Mom, tell us a story." Kasei pleaded a little. Kagome smiled and scooted his over on the bottom bunk and propping herself up against the wall with a smile. Kasei quickly climbed down and took his place on the free side of his mother.

"Alright. What one do you want to hear?"

"Tell us about the beautiful miko who met a scary yet handsome demon lord!" Takara said excitedly. Kagome's heart lurched a little but her smile never faltered.

"Alright then." She took in a breath and began telling the story.

"Once, there was a beautiful young miko who had raven black hair – "

"Like yours!" Takara piped up and Kagome chuckled a little, nodding.

"Yes, like mine. She also had chocolate brown eyes, also like Kasei's and mine. One day she was traveling with her traveling companions when she was alone in a hot spring. She didn't realize until the man was standing right behind her that she wasn't alone. He was tall and his hair was long silky silver and his clothes were made from the best silks. She turned around in the water and stared at his golden, golden eyes. Soon, he plucked her out of the water and wrapped his kimono shirt over her, covering her wet body with warmth. He wanted her and she wanted him but they couldn't tell each other, not yet at least. After a minute, he asked her if she wanted to travel with him."

"I know what she said!" Kasei revealed with a smile. Kagome smiled a little, nodding.

"He was looking to the young miko and she was looking at him. After a few minutes of silence, she finally said that, yes, she would like to travel with him. They became friends after a little while and then a little while later, they finally confessed their love to each other." Kagome looked down to see them sleeping and smiled.

She sat there for another minute or two and lifted her hand to the faded mark on her neck. Looking outside, she could see the stars and the full moon and instantly thought of him.

"I love you, Sesshomaru." She murmured softly. With a quiet sigh, she got up and placed the sleeping Kasei on the top bunk again and reached through the railing and pulled the blankets over him and placed a light kiss on his forehead.

Kagome repeated the process with Takara and then stood and turned the lamp off and walked to the doorway, her hand resting on the handle and the light from the hallway illuminating against her back. She smiled softly and turned to walk into the hallway, leaving the door open only about an inch before going to the front door and locking it then locking the sundeck doors and drawing the curtains.

Before drawing the curtains to a close, Kagome stood, looking up at the sky. She wondered what he was doing right now …

With a sigh, she drew the curtains closed and doubled checked the locks and making sure everything was off before heading to her bedroom and getting changed and climbing into her bed from her old room. With another sigh, Kagome turned out the light and closed her eyes, slowly falling asleep.

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Sixteen-year-old Kasei was listening to his music while he walked the four blocks from his high school to the apartment that he lived in with his mother, twin sister and little brother. Takara would probably already be home with their little brother, Katsu, keeping an eye him while their mother was hard at work. Katsu was going into middle school soon so he couldn't quite be left completely on his own yet.

Opening the door to the apartment with his key, he carefully took out his earphones, careful of the silver ring that pierced his ear. Dumping his stuff on the kitchen table, he walked into the living room, seeing cartoons on and Takara lying on the couch with a book.

Katsu was sitting on the floor, leaning up against the couch as he periodically flipped through the channels. He looked over his brother and smiled a little. He had dog-ears, fangs and a super nose just like him and their sister.

While his hair and ears were silver, Takara's were black and Katsu's ears were silver lined with black and he had a few black streaks in his hair. Katsu's ears swiveled around and he turned from the TV set to Kasei with a smile and shot up, hugging him instantly.

Kasei had gotten much, much taller over the years and now resembled his father, at least that's what his mother had told him once. An unhappy feeling settled in his gut every time he thought of their father but he pushed it away and turned his attention to his younger brother. He came to about his chest already and he was still growing.

"Kasei, we get to go on this awesome field trip and learn all about Feudal Japan! 500 years into the past is where we're starting! It's going to be so cool!" Kasei chuckled a little, ruffling the boy's hair.

"I bet it will be." Something rung a bell in his mind. Feudal Japan? What was he thinking of that for? Sure, he had to study it a little in his history class but he never thought anything of it, even if it brought back familiar feelings that he couldn't recognize.

"Pipe down, Katsu! Some of us are trying to study!" Takara ordered. Kasei chuckled a little, going over and plucking the book out of his sister's hands. Unlike himself, his sister was looking more and more like their mother every day. Except for her golden eyes, Katsu had them too. Those eyes that he'd seen in someone else other than his twin sister.

"Give it back, damn it!" His sister's sharp order brought him back to the present and he looked at the book.

"A romance novel? What kind of studying would this be, Takara? Would that Carson guy you like have anything to do with this?" He watched as his sister turned red and snatched the book out of his hands.

She was just going to say something smart to him when their mother walked in the door with an armful of groceries.

"Mom!" Katsu cried out happily and jumped into her arms just as she set down the bags. Kagome laughed a little, hugging him back.

"Hey, you. Did you have a good day at school today?" He bobbed his head with excitement and began telling her all about their field trip and how they were going to start research and do projects and stuff on Feudal Japan.

Kagome, who had been listening with half an ear as she put some groceries away with Kasei's help, stopped when he mentioned Feudal Japan.

Feudal Japan … 500 years in the past … where she had longed to go for the last eleven years, nearly twelve as Katsu was going to have a birthday soon. Sesshomaru …

"Mom? Mom? Are you okay?" Katsu asked, waving a hand in front of her face. Kagome blinked a little, coming back to reality and laughed a little.

"Yes, Katsu, I'm fine. Now, go find that form that I'm suppose to sign."

"Okay!" He ran to his room to search his backpack. Kasei and Takara had noticed the utter sadness on their mother's face when their brother mentioned Feudal Japan. He didn't know what was wrong but he had a sneaky suspicion that it had something to do with the man who called himself their father.

There was no doubt in his mind anymore. He was going to find out more and find a way to put his mother's suffering to an end.

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That night, when his mother lay fast asleep, he found a photo album in his mother's room. He quietly snuck in and then snuck back out and into his and Katsu's room. Their apartment was only a two bedroom but their mother had moved herself out of her own room and into the room that used to be a study and gave Takara her old room.

Kasei honestly didn't mind sharing a room with his younger brother and it was probably easier than Takara and Katsu sharing one. His ears twitched and then his sister appeared in his room.

"I couldn't sleep." She whispered. Kasei gave her a weird look then motioned her to follow him as he walked into her room and closed the door after them.

"I found this in mom's room. It isn't any photo album I've ever seen." Takara took it from her brother and studied it, nodding.

"Yeah, I've never seen it before, either." Opening it, Takara blinked a little when she saw the exact same pair of golden eyes staring back at her. It was a picture of a man, a handsome man she had to admit. He had long silver hair like Kasei's and golden eyes like hers and Katsu's. He also had four magenta stripes, two on each side and she noticed that his lips were pulled into a loving smile.

He wore a kimono that flowed easily. It was mostly white and it had a flower pattern on it. She studied the picture a little more and then turned the page.

There was another man, but shorter. He wore a red outfit and also had golden eyes and dog-ears, just like theirs, minus the slight differences. He was standing with a pretty young woman with long purple hair and a light blue kimono. The woman had one hand on his chest as she rested her head against his shoulder and they each had an arm around each other.

The next picture was featuring a man, a woman, a small cat thing with two tails and a small boy that looked like a fox of some sorts. The man in red in the previous picture was laying facedown on the ground behind them.

The male standing had short black hair that was pulled into a small ponytail and brown eyes. He had a staff in one hand and he wore long black and purple robes. She guessed that he was probably a monk or something but he had his arm around the shoulders of a very pretty woman indeed.

The woman was wearing a pink and green kimono and it looked like she had something like … a boomerang, a giant boomerang on her back. Takara's eyes drifted to the cat that was a pale yellow and had black stripes and was really adorable, along with the little fox child.

Takara turned the page and everything was a little blurry in one of the pictures but the next picture showed their mother wearing a beautiful pink and blue kimono with a flower pattern. She was resting her hand on her stomach and was absolutely beaming, a small child stood beside her, holding their mother's hand. She had short black hair in a ponytail with brown eyes and a orange and white-checkered kimono.

Another page and another picture revealed the tall man with the white kimono from before with their mother and the child. He was holding her and his arm was around their mother's waist, this time, however, most of the attention was not on the camera but on each other as their mother and the man were sharing a tender kiss.

As they came to the end of the pictures, it showed their very pregnant mother with everyone else that had previously been seen. The last and final picture was with their mother, the man, the little girl from before and …

Takara and Kasei gasped a little bit, looking at each other and then back to the picture. There were two children standing in front of their mother and the man.

"That's … " Kasei began in bewilderment.

"… us." Takara finished for him, both brother and sister staring at the picture.

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Once they had rushed down to the 24-hour photocopying center, they had made two extra copies of the last picture and then Kasei quickly returned the photo album to their mother.

Now, he was pacing Takara's room, looking at the picture occasionally. Takara sat on her bed, looking at the picture and shaking her head.

"Pictures don't lie, Kasei … "

"I know … "

"So … if they don't lie then … that was … us in … Feudal Japan … 500 years ago."

"I know."

"I'm not 500 years old!" Takara exclaimed suddenly and Kasei quickly covered her mouth, listening to any signs of either his mother or Katsu stirring. Satisfied that they were still sleeping, he let her go.

"Of course you're not 500 years old, you baka. If you were then I doubt mom would still be around and I also doubt that Katsu would only be eleven." Takara nodded a little, gathering herself again.

"But … if we're not 500 years old then … how did we get from back then to the here and now?" Kasei sighed a little, sitting down.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I've been wanting to talk to mom about our father for a while but every time I bring it up, she always gets so sad and looks like she's about to cry so I just drop it and change the subject." Takara nodded a little.

"I know. I wonder why she's always so sad most the of the time. I mean, sure, she puts on a happy face for us and especially for Katsu since he's still pretty young but, I could always tell that she's sad." Kasei nodded in agreement and then his ears twitched at the sound of pebbles on her bedroom window could be heard.

Curious, he got up and opened the window and then was struck by a rock in the head. Growling, he stuck his head out the window to only catch a shadow of a small figure quickly sprint away. Sighing, he pulled his head back in and closed the window, rubbing his head.

Takara picked the rock up and undid the string around the rock that held a letter to it. Kasei sat down beside her.

"What's it say?" She gave him a look.

"Shut up and I'll read it to you." Kasei gave her a look back but crossed his arms and leaned back, waiting.

Takara cleared her throat, beginning to read it out.

"Dear Takara, Kasei, Katsu and Kagome,

We desperately need your help. By now you've probably figured out a least a little bit of your past so I'm not even going to bother to explain. There is something lurking around again and it can't be Naraku. People have already died because of this new threat and we can only stop their advances with your help. You are the princes and princess of the Western Lands and your mother is Lady Kagome of the Western Lands. This should give you enough to think about for now.

Go to the Higurashi shrine as soon as you can and go through the well found in the well house at the shrine. See you soon.'"

Kasei gaped a little and snatched the note from his sister, reading over it. "This is insane. Go through the well, yeah right. Time travel is impossible."

"Nothing is impossible." A feminine voice said from the doorway. Kasei and Takara looked up at their mother and then to their little brother and quickly hid the note and their pictures.

Kagome sighed a little from her position. "You don't need to hide things from me. Let's see what you found." The two oldest children looked to one another and then slowly handed them their pictures and the letter.

Kagome looked at the picture and tears came to her eyes but this time, she laughed a little. "You two were such treasures back then …" She then sighed, handing them back along with the letter. She had heard it loud and clear.

"I suppose you would like to know about your pasts … " Kagome motioned for everyone to follow her into the living room. Everyone sat and she went into the kitchen and brought out milk and cookies for everyone, setting them on the coffee table before handing them each a glass.

It was then that Kasei noticed that she was holding the photo album he had found. He watched his mother as she slowly opened it and ran her fingers over the picture, looking at it. Then, she took it out of it's protective covering and told them to pass it around.

"That is your father. Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands. He is a great taiyoukai who currently resides in Feudal Japan, about 500 years in the past." Kagome took the picture back after each of them studied it and put it back in it's protective covering.

"I'm sure you all remember the stories your uncle and I used to tell you." Kagome looked up and saw slow nods across the room and continued on.

"Well, for the most part, those stories are entirely true. I did go through the well many times until one day, when I brought you two here, Kasei and Takara, to see your grandmother, great grandfather and uncle, I discovered that I was pregnant with Katsu. I was so happy that I rushed to the well and jumped in. Only, that time, it was different. It didn't work and to this very day, I still don't know why. But, if this note is from who I think it's from then the well must have unsealed somehow."

Kasei and Takara exchanged silent looked and nodded a little. Katsu was listening intently. He'd never heard something so exciting before. Wait 'till the kids at school heard the was an actual prince! Hah! That'd really show them!

Kagome smiled a little and took out two pictures. One picture of InuYasha and Yuri and the other of Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kelala. She handed them out.

"That is your uncle InuYasha and your aunt Yuri. When you were young, you would call him 'Uncle Inu'." Kagome smiled at the memory, almost laughing.

"That is your aunt Sango and uncle Miroku. When we left, they only had two kids, your cousins, Aki and Cho. In that picture is your older brother, Shippo. I know he looks like a kid right now but that's only because he's a kid in youkai years, in human years he's probably over one hundred." Kasei looked at the little fox and remembered the figure that he'd seen. Though it was shadowed, he could make out a tail kind of like the one in the picture.

"This is Sango's two tailed demon cat, Kelala. She can transform into about the equivalent of a flying saber toothed fire lion." Takara blinked a little, trying to picture it, finding that strangely she could.

"I haven't been able to go back since that day so long ago … though I tried, I could never make it work again. I haven't seen your father or anyone since then. It's been eleven years … "

That was exactly it. It had been eleven years since she'd seen anyone from that time. Were they still alive? Was everyone okay? What would Sesshomaru's reaction be? Most importantly … did he still love her after eleven years of her being gone?

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**A/N: Oh! Another bad cliffy! Haha, don't you love me for it though? Okay … I got the well idea from another fan fiction from another author. I really don't remember the author's name or the name of the story but I do remember that it's good and well written. Oh … wait … I do believe that it's called,**

"**Inu Gang Story after Naraku" **

**That's all I remember –cheesy grin- Anyway … oh .. yes … I'VE GOT OVER 50 REVIEWS! And … I made this chapter extra long to celebrate it! I hope everyone likes it –smiles-**

**-Hands out chocolate, candy and cookies to her reviewers- **

**You guys are the inspiration for all my work! I love you all!**


	15. The Weirdest Field Trip Ever

**Chapter Fifteen**

**The Weirdest Field Trip Ever**

**Disclaimer: Man … I honestly don't know how you guys got your degrees if I have to keep repeating the fact that I don't own InuYasha every single chapter –shakes head- Honestly … you people … -sigh-**

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Kagome was packing all her things, well, anything she thought she would need. She had talked to her best friend and boss about taking an early vacation and she had no problem with it, which Kagome had thanked her again and again for.

Takara poked her head into her mother's bedroom. "C'mon, mom, we're not going to mars."

Kagome laughed and put the photo album into her back. "Okay, let's go."

She followed her two sons and her daughter out of the apartment and they caught the bus to the shrine.

Soon, the four of them were staring at the well, each feeling differently. Kagome's stomach was in knots, what if this didn't work?

Kasei and Takara looked at each other, each feeling a sense of familiarity. Katsu, on the other hand, was jumping up and down.

"Wow! This is so cool! It's like the coolest field trip ever!" Kasei rolled his eyes.

"More like the weirdest."

"No way! This is so cool! Aren't you guys excited? We get to see the Feudal Era!" Kagome smiled at her youngest son's enthusiasm. Now, if only her stomach would stop doing flip flops …

"Let's just get this over with." Takara stated and jumped into the well fearlessly. Kagome was noting how much she was like her father sometimes before a familiar blue light came from the well.

It worked again … It was working again! Relief washed over her and she motioned for Kasei and Katsu to follow their sister.

Soon, Kagome jumped in after them, loving the feel of weightlessness that had been so common when she would regularly cross the worlds.

In the feudal era, Sesshomaru stopped. He felt it. He felt the particular 'whoosh' the forest did when someone crossed into this world through the well. Without thinking, he flew towards the well on his youkai cloud, leaving a red streak in his wake.

Kagome was back. He could smell her, feel her and even hear her. He landed gracefully at the well and a small child with golden eyes like his own and dog-ears came up over the well and stared at him with fascination and fear.

"Wow … " Was all that came from his parted lips. Kasei frowned a little, jumping out of the well and before he could say anything to his brother, he instantly smelt the demon. He smelled so familiar …

Takara came out as well and nearly fell back into the well at the surprise. Her mother's worried calls went unnoticed.

Kagome quickly climbed out of the well and followed her children's gaze and her own eyes widened a little.

"Sesshomaru … "

Sesshomaru felt his heart skip a beat and his eyes drifted over his mate and the love of his entire life. She looked stunning still. Her black hair and gotten a little longer, her eyes still had their usual shine to them and the figure she still had when she left was still there, even though she had obviously given birth again. She still smelled the same the day she left him …

A pang hit his heart when he thought of that day. He pushed the thought out of his head quickly, he wouldn't think like that. She was here now.

"Kagome … " Slowly, his legs began moving towards her and he almost could reach out and touch her but something stopped him. His brain started working again and he realized that it wasn't something, it was someone, two someone's actually.

A boy and his sister stood between him and his mate and they were growling at him. A small smile appeared on Sesshomaru's features. His children, his first born children, they'd grown so much.

"Stay away from her." A cool voice drifted to Sesshomaru's ears. It sounded a lot like his own but recognized it as his son's. How it sounded like his own voice was astounding and if it weren't for the ears and eyes, someone could have easily mistaken him for Sesshomaru.

"Kasei." Kagome's sweet voice broke his thoughts and he looked to her between the others.

"Kasei, that's your father …" She stepped through them and stood in front of Sesshomaru, waiting for him to either accept her or turn her back to her time.

Minutes dragged on, turning into hours it seemed and Kagome became even more tense.

Finally, he reached out and gently cupped her cheek, feeling her entire body relax. Kagome ran to him and wrapped her arms tightly around him in a fit of tears.

Sesshomaru wrapped his arms around his mate, nuzzling her hair, taking in its smell. Gods, how he had wanted to feel this, her against him, smell the sweet smell of her hair.

Kasei and Takara just stood there, watching everything unfold before them. They had some memories of their father but they were so distant and fuzzy, they just passed them off as really weird dreams. Sure, they had wondered why they never saw anyone at school with ears or eyes like theirs or with claws but they never really thought too much of it because they were accepted for the most part.

Slowly, their attention was turned to their brother who had a bewildered expression on his face. He was desperately trying to make sense of everything.

"This is SO cool!" He exclaimed in a fit of excitement.

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Kagome was walking beside Sesshomaru with his arm around her waist and her head resting on his shoulder. How she had longed for this. Being with him again, feeling his tender touch, hearing his voice and watching his golden eyes.

Kasei, Takara and Katsu were following them, the older two slowly coming to terms with their old and fuzzy memories. It wasn't easy, especially with their brother asking Sesshomaru a thousand and one questions.

They walked for hours until night began falling and Kagome was still latched onto Sesshomaru. She honestly didn't ever want to let go of him in fear that this all might be some dream and if she let go, he would just fade away …

Sesshomaru smiled down at Kagome. "The boys and I will go and get firewood." This brought Kasei attention back to reality.

"Like hell I'm going anywhere with you." He snarled and Kagome sighed a little.

"Kasei, don't do this. Just go with him."

He looked at his mother. "Don't do what? Don't hate him for leaving us eleven years ago? You already had two kids and one on the way and he just LEFT!" A sharp growl cut him off and he could see Sesshomaru's eyes get dark and very mad.

"You listen here, pup." He snarled back. "I would have never left you two or your mother. I didn't even know that she was carrying at the time otherwise I wouldn't have let her go. You will back down and show some respect. Just because you are my heir and first born son, does not mean I will not exercise my right to make you obey me." By this time, Sesshomaru had walked up to Kasei and he had to give the boy credit that he stood his ground.

"Go ahead. Kill me. I dare you." Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed and he reached for his sword.

"Your brother shall inherit everything if this is your wish."

Kasei growled, his own eyes narrowing. "You don't have the guts."

"Don't tempt me, boy." Kasei just growled his response and Sesshomaru quickly slashed at his son, sending gasps from the group.

Kasei, who hadn't closed his eyes or even flinched, blinked a little bit. He was kind of expecting to see like a white light at the end of a tunnel or something like that and he was certainly not expecting to see Sesshomaru's angry face.

Slowly, he moved his arms and his eyes widened a little.

"I'm … not dead?" Sesshomaru sheathed the Tetsaiga, turning back towards the forest.

"Even I would not kill one of my children, disobedient or not. Now, let's go. We need to get firewood before it gets completely dark." Kasei glared at his back for a minute but slowly moved to follow him, his younger brother skipping up to Sesshomaru's side happily.

"Father, are you really a demon? Do you really have deadly claws? Are you really a lord? Does that make me a prince? Can you run really fast? Will you teach me how to use a sword? Why are you wearing those clothes?" Instead of the questions annoying him, they actually made him laugh.

Gently, he placed a hand between his son's ears and ruffled his hair a little.

"What's your name, son?"

"Katsu." Sesshomaru smiled.

"Well, Katsu, to answer your questions; yes, I really am a demon. Yes, I do have deadly claws but I would never use them to harm someone I love or care for. Yes, I am really a lord and yes, that does make you a prince. Yes, I can run very fast. Yes, you will eventually learn how to use a sword and I am wearing these clothes because they are comfortable and it is what most of my status wear in these times."

Kasei was a little surprised by this and he unconsciously began picking up some sticks and such. They stopped and Sesshomaru looked over his shoulder at his eldest son.

"Kasei, have you used any of your powers?"

Kasei tensed at the sudden shift of attention but he slowly shook his head. Sesshomaru nodded a little, continuing to walk. Kasei frowned a little, watching him.

Why would he suddenly be interested in something like that?

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**A/N: Yes … why would that little tidbit of information suddenly interest the hot and sexy demon lord? Why, indeed. Well … that's for me to know and you to find out. –Grins- actually … that's for all of us to find out … I don't even know why myself! This chapter was actually going to be a lot shorter than it is now but I suddenly got a tiny spurt of an idea. I'm also beginning to get writers block –cries- I hate writers block …**

**I'm also really trying to find a good Sesshomaru and Kagome fan fic but I haven't really come across any … I'm also not sure on whether to post this up today or leave it for tomorrow …**

**A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL MY REVIEWERS! YOU ARE SO LOVED IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY ANYMORE!**


	16. Your New Home

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Your New Home**

**Disclaimer: How many times must I tell you all that I do not own InuYasha?**

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Kagome stood in the room she was staying in and looked out at the moon shining down on the gardens. She wanted so badly to stay here, with him but she now had responsibilities in her own time. She had two jobs, an apartment that meant rent and she had other bills to pay. Plus, Kasei, Takara and Katsu all had school on Monday.

Sighing a little, Kagome put a hand up to the glass and leaned her forehead on it, sighing again. Her heart felt like it was being cut into two. She loved Sesshomaru so much and she desperately wanted to stay here with him but she couldn't and she knew it.

_You never belonged in this time._

_I know … but I don't want to go back to the modern time …I want to stay with Sesshomaru._

_You can't, you know that._

_But … why? I love him and he loves me._

_But what about your bills that will come on Monday? Your job? Your own responsibilities? _

Kagome sighed again, her legs beginning to feel weak as she slid down in front of the window, tears forming in her eyes. She hit the floor with frustration and hurt, feeling torn between the two worlds. She never had to pick before so why did she have to pick now?

Oh, right, because she had a life in the modern time, a much more important one than when she was a teenager. Everything seems so easy in her mind; she'd come back to the feudal era and stay with Sesshomaru with their children. Simple. Easy. Poof.

But … what of the modern era? She couldn't just not show up for work one day, could she?

Sesshomaru was outside of her door the entire time, listening to hear quiet sobs and heavy sighs. More than a few times he had to restrain himself from barging in and demand to know whether she was planning on leaving him again or not.

Just because he was a powerful taiyoukai, didn't mean that he couldn't have feelings and the feelings he felt for Kagome were the strongest set of feelings he'd ever felt in his entire life. When Kagome never came back, he hardly slept and when no one was around late at night, he would cry …

Yes, the demon lord did have emotions and the emotions he was feeling then tore at him every day. The pain of loosing Kagome once had nearly consumed him but the pain of loosing her twice would be completely unbearable.

Opening the door slowly, Kagome didn't move. She had sensed him long before he even decided to open the door.

Sesshomaru stepped through it and closed it lightly, watching Kagome rise and stand with her back to him before slowly turning to face him. There was so much pain in her chocolate brown eyes that made him want to brandish his sword and slay all of her fears and then wrap her up in his protective arms and never let her go.

Kagome stood, amber eyes locking with chocolate brown ones, watching all the conflicting emotions play out in his eyes. She had learned, long ago how to read them, even if he didn't want them to be read. She could always tell if there was something troubling him and how to soothe him and work out all the kinks and knots. This time, however, she didn't know what to do.

She loves him, oh, how she loves him. She wanted him to take her to their bed and promise to never leave … ever.

Slowly, Sesshomaru walked to her. Everything was on the line right now. His heart, his life, his soul, his very being rested on her decision on whether to stay or leave him.

Kagome looked to him, never taking her eyes off his. She couldn't leave … she just couldn't. She would die if she left again especially now after eleven years of living without him, crying every night, wondering what he was doing, if he was still alive, even. She had lived eleven years of her life in almost complete misery … almost. The only shred of hope that had kept the smile on her face, kept her from breaking down the many, many times she had wanted to so badly over those eleven years, were the children that they had made together.

"Kagome … " Sesshomaru's voice brought her back in an instant and then she couldn't take it anymore. Launching herself at him, she wrapped her arms around his waist, tears streaming down her face.

"Sesshomaru, I can't leave again. I can't. I just can't. I don't want to, either. I want to stay; I want to stay with you. I was so lonely without you … every day, I just wanted to give up and die but I couldn't. I had to be strong for them, for Kasei, Takara and Katsu."

Relief washed over the demon lord in giant waves and he put his arms around his mate. "Kagome, I know how you felt … I never want to experience that, ever again. Never." Gently, he wiped away her tears and placed a tender, loving kiss on her lips that was returned in an instant. Then he knew that he could never live without her.

"I can't live without you, Kagome." Kagome smiled softly at him. The tall, handsome dog demon that had captured her heart and let her unlock everything that was kept inside for all those years. He was the one that let her erase all his loneliness and some of hers, too.

"I can't either, Sesshomaru. I won't, I refuse to. I love you."

"I love you, too, so much." With that, he picked her up and entered their bedroom, closing the door to share a night of extreme tenderness and love with just one another.

Kasei, Takara and Katsu were hiding in a room right across from their mother's and with their superior hearing, heard every last word. Right after their father had taken their mother into their bedroom, they knew that it would be rare that they would ever see the hustle and bustle of the modern world.

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Kasei groaned a little bit as sunlight poured into his new room the next morning. He had slept incredibly well that night, having his own room for the first time in his entire life. It felt good, having a room of his own, he could pretty much do anything he pleased.

He pulled the covers up over his head, blocking out the morning sun that lit up his room of red. The room wasn't all red, though. There was some deep green and purple that matched the bold blue of his sheets and other bedding. He had already decorated it with various things from his old room and he had brought about two dozen batteries and most of his battery powered electronics, including his alarm clock that currently read seven in the morning.

They all got to choose their new rooms when they arrived at the grand mostly marble castle. Kasei had chosen this one because of how it reflected on his name and personality. Plus, he really liked the colors and the view from his window that lead to his own private porch. It also gave him a good view of the Western Lands, which Kasei had been told he would be inheriting.

A knock on the door roused him from his sleepy thoughts and he just decided to ignore it, which only made it more persistent. Finally, he threw his covers from over his head and growled.

"What the hell do you want at this early in the morning?" He snapped at whoever was outside his door. Slowly, he watched it open and a man walked in with his head bowed in respect. Kasei blinked a little, looking at him.

"Stop bowing and tell me why you're here already."

"Yes, master Kasei." Kasei blinked again at the title. 'Master'? Him? Was his stupid father dead already? A small part of him celebrated but another, slightly larger part doubted it though sorrow filled him at the thought.

"I have been assigned to aid you in whatever way you wish and to help you be prepared for the morning meal with your parents and siblings, Lord Sesshomaru, Lady Kagome, Mistress Takara and Master Katsu." Kasei sighed a little, feeling really uncomfortable with all the formalities.

"Just call me Kasei, alright and stop bowing already!" The man nodded and stood straighter.

Kasei sighed a little and got up, wearing a pair of boxer shorts. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he yawned, bearing his fangs, and stretched.

"Alright so what do I have to do?" The man looked a little shocked at the question but answered it anyways,

"Normally, bathing would come first then getting dressed would be second." Kasei nodded a little.

"All right, a shower it is then. Where's the bathroom?" His little servant or whatever they were called looked confused, Kasei noticed. Then it hit him and he mentally slapped himself.

Right! They didn't have showers here. "Well, you do have your personal bathing area to your right."

Kasei nodded. "Well then, I'm going to go have my little … bath." He started off towards his personal springs.

"What about your clothes for the morning?" Kasei shrugged and waved a hand.

"Just pick something out or something like that. If that's not in your job description then don't worry about it, I'll pick something out myself." With that, Kasei opened the door and closed it.

"This should be interesting." He said to himself and stripped down to nothing and slid into the hot water that felt good, lapping at his skin. He silently wondered if people tanned in this era …

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Kasei stepped out of the bath, he walked into his room with nothing but a towel hung loosely around his waist, not expecting anyone to be there.

At first, when he came into his room, his eyes instantly saw a very awesome looking orange and white kimono. He went over and ran a hand over it, careful not to rip the obviously expensive material. That was when a little squeak caught his attention.

Looking up, he saw a very beautiful girl with dark blue eyes and long brown hair that was done up in a high ponytail. She wore a white and pink kimono and a deep blush on her cheeks. Normally, Kasei would just shrug it off but this time he couldn't.

He blushed deeply as well and for a long time, silence hung in the air before he couldn't stand it anymore and finally found his voice.

"Um … hi." The girl's eyes looked to him and she smiled and bowed a little.

"Sorry to … intrude but your father said that it would be alright if I came to introduce myself." Kasei nodded a little but she continued on.

"But, I realize now that it was an inappropriate time so I'll be going now." Something like panic stirred in him and he quickly moved to grab her wrist with the hand that was holding his towel. He then noticed that she had pointy ears like his fathers. Did that mean she was a full demon, too?

He was brought back from his thoughts when he felt a breeze and looked down, realizing that the towel had now pooled around his feet. The girl noticed, too.

With a deep blush, she murmured a good bye and scurried out of the room, closing the door after her. Kasei, still blushing, stood looking at the door, her scent still lingering in his nose. Man, she smelt good and … she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen and he was in high school now!

With a bit of a sigh, he picked up the towel and threw on some underwear and got dressed, looking at his reflection in full-length mirror. He turned to each side and did a few poses, smirking at his mental note of how good he looked.

"Man, you're almost worse than your father and your uncle put together." A male voice told him. Kasei blushed instantly and looked around, spotting a tall fox with his arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe.

"And you are?" Kasei said in a cool tone, trying to hide his embarrassment. Shippo laughed a little, walking in.

"Your older brother." He stated in an amused tone. He watched the young pup's expression go from nothing to utter shock in less than a second.

"And yes, I am a youkai. A fox youkai to be exact." Kasei blinked a little, trying to clear his mind.

"I have an older brother?" Shippo nodded.

"And an older sister." Kasei looked over the fox, noting that he was sporting an expensive looking kimono as well though his more masculine frame filled it out slightly better than his.

"Why do you have a rock in your ear?" Kasei blinked.

"Huh?"

"Your ear, boy. Why do you have a rock in it?" Kasei looked at him and then realized that he was talking about his earring!

"It's the fashion from where I'm from. Not that you'd know anything about it." Shippo raised a brow and smirked.

"I know a lot more about you than you think I do. I also know exactly what happened when you and Takara were only five." Kasei blinked a little. What this guy? Some kind of magician?

"Anyways, I'm Shippo, your older brother. You'll get to meet Rin at breakfast which you might want to hurry up for." Kasei nodded a little, putting a pair of shoes on and then looking up to Shippo's face again.

"How are you related to me? You're a fox." Shippo smirked again.

"So I am. Your mother adopted me a long time ago, years and years before you were even conceived."

"Oh. Well I guess that explains a lot." Shippo nodded.

"Let's go, pup." Kasei bristled a little.

"I'm not a pup, I'm sixteen." Shippo let out a laugh as they walked down the hall.

"In human years, you're almost an adult but in youkai years, you are still a child." Kasei glared at his back the rest of the way until they came to the biggest room he'd ever seen in his entire life.

There was a high ceiling that arched and held many chandeliers. There were four sets of grand doors; two of the four leading to outside and all four of them were opened. Hanging crystals sent rainbows spinning throughout the room and right in the middle of it was a long, dark pure oak dining table that held many chairs, some of which were occupied though most weren't.

The tone of the room was familiar and it had a very welcoming feel to it as it was painted a light yellow, almost a creamy white that matched the windows. There were paintings, a few of which looked like young children did them. One of the childish looking paintings was hanging beside him and he looked it over and then the name at the bottom of the painting caught his eye; Kasei.

He blinked a little. He did this painting? That was his name so he must have been the child artist behind this. That proved it then, he did live here … eleven years ago this was his home. Memories came flying back to him as he looked around, he could almost hear the laughter of young children as they played their games …

Before he could fully slip into the entrance of memory lane, a familiar scent caught his nose. He had just smelt this lovely smell just this morning. Turning, he saw the girl from before standing behind him, a blush still on her cheeks.

She smiled at him and he couldn't help but smile back She smelled so nice and looked so pretty and she was a little on the shy side but that made her all the more interesting. She smelled like a wolf but it was a good smell, like apple blossoms and cinnamon and the sun that shone on her highlighted her natural beauty and Kasei smiled more.

"Good morning, Prince Kasei." She said softly, her voice like music to his ears.

"Call me Kasei." He said softly with a smile. "I don't think I caught your name."

A larger and slightly bolder smile came to her beautiful lips as she smiled on him. Lips that he wanted to touch, that he wanted to taste. Kasei stopped his thoughts right then. What in the world? He'd just met this girl and already he wanted to kiss her? That was very unusual for him, actually, when he thought about it, he'd never wanted to kiss a girl the first time he'd met her. What made this one so special? He honestly didn't have any idea … not at the moment at least.

"My name is Ai." She said softly, looking into his chocolate brown eyes.

Ai sighed inwardly. He was so beautiful … though that term was such a feminine term that she'd never actually say it to describe him but what else could she use? He just seemed so … perfect, she guessed. No one had made her heart pound and her cheeks to warm this much before.

His eyes were mesmerizing and his hair was so long and silky looking, she just wanted to run her fingers through it and he smelled so bold and so masculine yet there was something so sweet and tender about him.

Both Kasei and Ai's eyes were brought up to Sesshomaru who cleared his throat.

Kasei quickly noticed that they were the only ones still standing and he blushed again, taking a seat next to Takara who nudged him with one of her infamous knowing smiles. God he hated how she could always know things before him.

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Breakfast had gone without a hitch and now, Sesshomaru was standing on his balcony of his and Kagome's rooms, watching everything fold out. Kasei and Ai, one of Kouga's daughters, had seem to take quite a shine to each other, which was a good thing.

Takara and Rin seem to be getting along well and Shippo had taken his youngest brother, Katsu, under his wing. Sesshomaru smiled a little as the watched Kasei and Ai walk the gardens, talking. He couldn't make out what they were saying but Kasei had apparently said something funny because the next thing he heard was laughter coming from her.

His son, Sesshomaru mused, would fit perfectly into this world, since he was originally from here though he had spent eleven years growing up without him.

Another regretful pang hit him as his eyes rested on his youngest son, Katsu. Katsu had to grow up without even knowing he had a father at all …

Kagome stood in the doorway, watching him with a smile. She was finally home and finally with him.

Sesshomaru picked up her scent instantly and smiled, turning to face her. Kagome smiled at him and walked over, looking at what he was looking at with a bigger smile.

"I'm so glad we're all back together again …"

Sesshomaru nodded a little, putting his arms around her. Kagome sighed a little, leaning against him and they just stood like that for what seemed like hours.

"Sesshomaru …"

"Hmm?" Kagome smiled, the sun dancing across her face with its comforting warmth.

"Lets let happily ever after start now." Sesshomaru smiled a little, nodding.

"Yes."

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Kasei and Ai were walking the gardens slowly and talking and telling a few jokes. Kasei told Ai a couple he knew from his time and she thought that they were hilarious. He would smile as her beautiful laugh drifted to his ears.

Slowly, Ai reached over and took his hand, blushing a little. Kasei looked at their hands and then to her face and slowly smiled, closing his hand over hers and just watching her as she talked.

_God, she's so beautiful. I've never seen someone so naturally beautiful before! All the girls in my time are obsessing with make up and perfume and all that kind of stuff. But not her, not Ai. Mainly because she probably doesn't have make up or anything like that in this time but still._

Ai looked at him and blushed a little deeper, looking away. Then she looked up and blushed again as she took her hand from his, standing a little away from him and bowing a little.

"Father." Kasei blinked and his eyes rested on a tall man who had hair like Ai's, along in a high ponytail. His eyes were blue and he wasn't wearing any kind of clothes that he'd ever seen before, even in his currently short time in this era. He looked like he was wearing … fur and it also looked like he had a tail. He couldn't call him ugly that was for sure.

"Ai, I thought I told you to return home at least two days ago." Ai's mood plummeted at the thought of leaving Kasei, whom she had already gotten deeply attached to.

"Forgive me, Father." The man looked her over and then his eyes shifted to Kasei and what looked like realization came over his face.

"Well, I see the reason for your delay. It seems you've developed a taste for dog boys, also." Kasei growled a little and Ai nudged him a little, shaking her head slightly. He watched as the man's attention shifted from him back to his daughter.

"Come, Ai. We must take our leave." Ai nodded a little and set Kasei a sad good-bye smile as she followed him.

Kasei gaped a little. He couldn't believe this! She was just going to walk away from him? Not in this lifetime.

With a little growl, Kasei grabbed Ai's wrist and she stopped and looked to him. Kouga noticed this also and he walked back to them.

"Unhand my daughter." Kasei growled again.

"No. She doesn't have to go with you. She's old enough to make her own choices." Kouga growled at Kasei's defiance. Kasei only growled back.

Kouga got dangerously close to Kasei and fear began pounding into the boy but he refused to let it show. He didn't exactly know what demons did when you angered them and he didn't exactly have a burning desire to find out but he really wanted Ai to stay.

"The boy has a point." A female voice came and Kasei looked up to stare into a pair of green eyes. Kouga looked to her and sighed.

"I told you to stay at the den, Ayame." This earned him a glare, promising much punishment later. Kasei also didn't fail to notice that Kouga backed instantly and even was a little fearful.

Ai looked up and smiled a little at the woman who only smiled back and then gave her a hug, brushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"Ai, honey, you take as much time as you want, alright? I know you're in safe hands." Giving her daughter a hug, Ayame turned to Kouga.

"Let's go." Kouga nodded and followed his mate and Kasei held back a laugh. Finally, when he figured the demons were out of earshot, he laughed.

"Man, your mom has him whipped." Ai blinked a little, looking at him.

"'Whipped'?" Ai echoed, curious but clueless about the new term.

Kasei sweatdropped. "Yeah, whipped. It's a slang from my time. It pretty much means that he'll do whatever she says."

"Oh." Ai nodded in understanding. "Yes, you're probably right." Kasei grinned at her and then turned to see Shippo with his younger brother, Katsu.

Shippo grinned a little. "So you stood up to the infamous Kouga." Kasei blinked a little at him.

"Who?" Shippo rolled his eyes a little and opened his mouth to explain but was cut off.

"Kouga! He's the wolf demon who rules over the Northern Lands. He used to be only be the prince but when he defeated the Lord, he got the title and all the lands. He is mated to Ayame, who is also the leader of a wolf pack but most of hers was wiped out long ago by some disease."

Ai, Kasei and Shippo all turned to Katsu who blinked a little and blushed.

"What? We learnt it in school, okay!" Ai blinked a little.

"What is this 'school' you speak of?" Katsu grinned, happy to share his knowledge.

"It's a BIG building with LOTS of people! There are lots of adults but it's mostly kids and you learn things like math and history and other stuff like that! It's where a lot of kids and adults spend most of their days, Monday to Friday, too. Though sometimes we kids don't have to go to school on the weekdays because of these things called pro-d days. Only teachers have to go to school then. Everyone gets Saturday and Sunday off, though."

Ai was listening to Katsu with great interest and Kasei just sweatdropped a little.

"Make tracks, runt!" He ordered and Katsu scurried off. Shippo looked to him and then burst out laughing. Sometimes, he wasn't sure whether Kasei was Sesshomaru or InuYasha's child!

Kasei sighed and grabbed Ai and led her away to a pond where there was a bench that the sunlight was warming. He sat down, rubbing his temples. Ai probably thought that he was a loser for sure now.

"Kasei." Kasei's ears twitched and he looked up at her. Ai blushed, looking at her hands.

"You were … very brave just now … with my father. If it were anyone else … they would have just backed down but you never even thought of backing down." Ai looked to him and he blushed, looking away for a minute but looking back.

"It's no big deal. I'm used to standing up to guys that are stronger than me." Ai smiled at him.

"Well, I think that you're very brave." Kasei's breath hitched a little but he gazed into her eyes and they slowly began moving closer …

"I hope I'm not interrupting something." Sesshomaru's voice instantly made them jump apart, identical blushes on their cheeks as they bore holes in the ground with their eyes.

Sesshomaru smirked a little bit but hid it when he began speaking.

"Ai, you are welcome to stay here as long as you wish but for now, Kasei, come with me." Kasei nodded a little, standing up and following the great demon lord. All he could think about was how they were getting so close to each other. He almost kissed her!

Kasei, being lost in thought, didn't notice that his father had stopped and nearly ran smack into his back but caught himself just in time.

"I am going to show you something, Kasei." Kasei nodded a little and then felt himself being lifted off the ground. Looking down, his eyes widened. They were already several feet off the ground and they just kept climbing and … was he standing on a cloud?

Soon, most of the Western Lands were easily viewable and Sesshomaru stood tall and proud.

"Kasei, everything you see here will be your own one day. For now, this is your new home."

Kasei blinked a little.

This is my new home … 

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**A/N: Well, I hope you liked it. I'm sorry for the last chapter being so short. Hopefully, this makes up for it. A few of my reviewers made a few good points that I haven't been able to respond to so I'm doing it now.**

**AijinDaiku – You raised a good few questions! **

**Why isn't the well working? Well, I honestly don't know yet ;**

**Why didn't the doctors or the nurses (from when Kasei got hit by the car) say anything about his fluffy ears? Again, I don't know … they just kind of … didn't. Don't ask, don't tell, ne? **

**k4g0me – Yes, I actually mean Tensaiga in chapter 15. I made a mistake. Thanks for pointing it out –Gives an extra cookie-**

**Oh … by the way everyone, if I don't update for a while it's because I am going to be doing a lot of babysitting plus I am most likely going to be starting a new job so I'll be busy with that BUT I will try and update as much as I can because I love you all and I personally hate it when writers take FOREVER to update. **

**I would also like to apologize for not updating yesterday! Gomen nasai! –Bows- Btw … if anyone who knows Japanese better than me spots something that I'm using incorrectly or spots a mistake period, PLEASE TELL ME AND I'LL CORRECT IT TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY!**

**THANKIES! **

**A HUGE BIG GIGANTIC THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY REVIEWERS! YOU ALL MEAN SO MUCH TO ME!**


	17. A Boy With A Curse

**Chapter Seventeen**

**A Boy With A Curse**

**Disclaimer: -Chucks the law book at the lawyers- I'VE TOLD YOU A THOUSAND TIMES THAT I DON'T OWN INUYASHA! GIVE IT A FING REST! –Spectators hide-**

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Takara was wandering the forest of the Western Lands bored.

_Man, what the hell is there to do around this place? There's no malls, no swimming pools and I don't even know anyone so there's no chance in just hanging out … I'm so BORED!_

She growled in frustration and didn't notice that she melted a tree with her poison claws, nor did she even realize that she had those powers. That's when she smelt something she'd never really smelt before.

It was a demon, that much she knew but she also smelt something that made her stomach do flip flops and make her want to be sick. It was then that she saw the most horrific sight she'd ever seen in her entire life.

Blood. There was blood everywhere. The smell of death was so strong that she had to cover her nose with her kimono that was a pale pink and orange with scattered blue flowers. The smell made her want to be sick, many times. Slowly, she forced herself to walk through the village and look for any possible survivors.

In one of the huts that she checked, she found a small boy, sobbing over his dead parents.

Takara frowned a little, crouching down beside him. "Hey, are you okay?" The boy looked up at her and then saw her eyes then her ears and shrieked a little, scrambling away and into a corner.

The noise made her wince but she just looked at the scared little child. "It's okay. I won't hurt you. I promise. I'm one of the good guys." He looked up at her, his eyes red from crying. The boy's clothes were covered in blood and blood was in his long brown hair and his eyes were blue strangely. Takara smiled a little.

"Hey now, c'mon, don't cry anymore. You'll be all right. Everything will be fine, you'll see." Slowly, she extended a hand and the boy looked at it fearfully but slowly crawled to her and Takara picked him up in her arms, not even realizing that the blood from his clothes got on her kimono.

"There now. See, I'm not so scary." The little boy nodded, whimpering still but clinging to her kimono as if his life depended on it. Takara looked over the sight and sighed inwardly. Slowly, she stood.

"Well, let's go find a river or something to get cleaned up in. What's your name, by the way?"

"Hakurei. Everyone calls me Haku for short." Takara smiled, walking away from the bloodied mess of the village.

"That's a very nice name." The boy nodded a little.

"My parents named me after Mount Hakurei because it is a place of purity." Takara nodded a little, somehow that little tidbit of information was making a lot of sense though she had no idea why since she had only ever heard of the mountain in school and even then it was only briefly.

Takara stopped and the earth beneath her feet began rumbling and soon it began breaking, a huge monster coming out of the ground. It roared and glared at her and Haku.

"Give me the Jewel!" It ordered, slamming a huge fist down onto the ground. Haku closed his eyes and clung to Takara's kimono.

Takara barely dodged the huge fist and began running as fast as her legs could carry her. What the hell was that monstrosity talking about? WHAT jewel? She didn't have any stupid jewel!

She was dodging fists left, right and center, trying to figure out a way to either out run him or … would she have to kill him? Suddenly, something came at her from a blind spot and sent her flying through a couple trees, shielding Haku with her body that slumped on the ground after hitting the last tree.

After a few seconds, Takara slowly got herself to a sitting position. Her ribs were broken, all of them, that much she knew. Wincing with great pain, she let Haku go.

"Go and hide and don't come out until it's absolutely safe." Haku nodded fearfully and ran off, hiding in a hollow log.

Slowly, Takara got up, wincing with every breath she took. Damn it this hurt. She had to move quickly to avoid being crushed by the next fist and her first and second claws on her right hand began glowing and soon, a long whip formed of light was attached to her hand and she jumped into the air, sending the whip to the demons face.

The demon in question, stumbled back, holding his face and screaming in agony as Takara landed easily on the top of a tree. It spotted her and screamed his battle cry and soon, she was completely surrounded by hundreds of demons. She looked up and the only thought that ran through her mind at that moment was:

_Oh shit._

While she was distracted, the demon grabbed her and began the process of crushing her bones. Takara yelled out in extreme pain and felt something course through her body and then a sizzling sound could be heard and she was promptly dropped. She looked at her hand in amazement as it glowed it's poisonous green glow and yet, she felt fine, well, almost fine. Her body still hurt to even move never mind stand.

How the hell was she going to do this? There were now thousands of demons and she quickly dodged most of the attacks and noticed a few demons chasing after Haku. Growling, she ran towards them with new determination and even a little anger. Without thinking, her claws began glowing the same poisonous green that her hand had been doing a few minutes ago.

"Poison Blades!" She called out and sent razor sharp green poisonous blades at the demons that were after Haku. She found an unoccupied burrow and put him in it. No one should be able to find him there if he hides deep enough.

Then she began dodging attacks again, occasionally sending out a few of her own but she was much too inexperienced to handle such a large amount of demons at one time. Just as they all attacked, Takara's ankle was quickly broken and she winced in such extreme pain.

_This is it. This is my last day. At least I'll go down fighting._

She didn't even get to finish that thought when she heard someone yelling and looked up just as a man with silver hair, ears like her own, golden eyes and wearing red while brandishing a huge sword.

"WIND SCAR!" She could see it. The blues and gold that shot at the demons and then they just vanished and the danger was gone. She looked up at the man who saved her as he put his sword away and it untransformed into it's sheath and blinked a little. Why did he seem so familiar?

"Feh, for you being Sesshomaru's daughter you didn't put up much of a fight." Takara's eyes narrowed.

"Who are you to say such things?" She demanded coolly, sounding like a female version of her father. The man turned around and smirked a little, his arms crossed.

"His brother and your uncle." Takara blinked a little at him.

"My … uncle?" He nodded.

"You're … InuYasha?" He nodded again.

"Why all the questions, pup?"

"I'm not a pup." She told him in her cool voice again with her eyes narrowed.

"Well you are compared to most. Anyways, up ya get." InuYasha hauled her up and onto his back.

"We should probably get you home." Takara nodded and then remembered Haku.

"Wait! I have to find someone!" She jumped off his back, instantly regretting it and began running, well a very poor excuse for a run, into the woods, fearing that the boy was dead.

InuYasha sighed a little. "What are you crazy? Don't try and walk on a broken ankle!" He snarled and grabbed her, hauling her onto his back again.

"Who is it that you have to find, anyways?" Takara closed her eyes, her wounds finally beginning to get the best of her. She just realized that when she saw blood dripping onto the ground in large quantities that she probably had more wounds than she had realized at first.

"A boy that the demon was after … I left him in the woods … in a burrow." InuYasha frowned a little when he heard her weakening voice and quickly sped into the forest until he heard soft crying.

Sure enough, a boy was in a burrow, sobbing. When he looked up, a frightened cry came from him but Takara smiled.

"Don't worry, Haku. He's family." InuYasha nodded a little, putting the boy on his back.

"Hold on." The boy nodded a little and held on his tightest as InuYasha quickly sped towards the castle and was met by his brother, who wore an angered look.

"What did you do, InuYasha?" InuYasha growled at him.

"Oh, shut up, will you? I didn't do anything but save your daughters life after she saved this boy that some crazed demon was after." Sesshomaru arched a silver brow, this new tidbit of information obviously interesting him.

"Come." Was all he said as he led InuYasha to the healing wing.

Soon, Takara was bandaged up and Sesshomaru was busy with keeping his frantic mate calm and away from the healing wing. InuYasha had gone to sniff around, hopefully finding some new information.

As she rested for the remainder of the day, Haku had gotten changed into some of Kasei's old kimono's that fit perfectly. He was sitting on Takara's bed, waiting for his savior to awaken.

When everyone had left them alone, Haku took out a broken pink jewel and it glowed prettily and then looked to his hand that had beads wrapped around it, white ones that symbolized purity and innocence. Closing his eyes and putting the jewel away, he gave a little sigh, remembering what his father had told him just a day before him and his mother along with the rest of the village was murdered.

… … … … … … … … … … … …Haku's Flashback … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

A handsome man with long black hair that was held in a ponytail smiled down at his son as they fished together. Once they caught enough fish, they just sat on the edge of the dock, the water lapping at their toes.

"Haku." The man said softly, looking to the horizon.

Haku looked over at the man, curious as to what he might learn. "Yes father?"

"Haku, if something is to ever happen to the village or to me, you must take what is left of the Shikon no Tama and protect it. You must never use it for any kind of power, though." Haku's eyes widened a little.

"Father, you're … entrusting me with such a great responsibility?" The man turned to Haku and gave him a smile.

"I would not want to have anyone else do it. You are my son and I grow more and more proud of you with each passing day. Someday, you will make some lucky woman very, very happy." Haku smiled back and hugged his father.

… … … … … …… … … … … … End Flashback… … … … … …… … … … … …… … … … … …… … … … … …… … … … … …

Haku sighed a little, tears forming in his eyes as he looked at the broken jewel and then to his hand.

Father's last words were that he was proud of me. He was so proud of me and yet, I let him down … 

A stir beside him brought him out of his thoughts and to look at the golden eyes of the woman who had saved him. Takara gave him a smile.

"Hey, Haku. You've changed your clothes, that's good." Haku looked at her and then he lost all of his composure. Wrapping his arms around her neck, he began sobbing pained sobs. Takara, though slightly surprised, did nothing but hold the boy and stroke his hair.

"It's okay now, Haku. You're safe."

A ways away, Kagome had calmed down considerably and was relaxing in the bathing spring was when she could feel it. Her eyes widened a little. She thought that the Shikon jewel was gone! Maybe … that's why the well stopped working … but if so then she probably wouldn't have been able to cross to her time.

She shook her head and got out quickly, getting dressed. The problem of the well didn't matter now. What mattered was that she felt the jewel's presence and it was close, in the castle somewhere. Throwing open the door to Sesshomaru's study, she rushed in and he looked up.

"Kagome, what's wrong? Are you all right? Has something changed with Takara?" Kagome shook her head quickly.

"I feel it, Sesshomaru." He blinked a few times at her, trying to make heads or tails of what she was telling him.

"You feel what? Are you carrying again?" Kagome groaned in exasperation and lightly pulled at her hair. God, he could be even denser than InuYasha sometimes!

"No! I mean I can feel the jewel!" This caught his attention.

"Where is it?" Kagome thought for a minute.

"I'm pretty sure it's somewhere in the castle, that a way." Sesshomaru nodded, picking Kagome up and heading out of the room, towards the healing wing.

"It's getting stronger." They opened the door to where Haku was sitting on Takara's cot.

"It's in here." Sesshomaru nodded and then Kagome could see it and she gasped a little.

Sesshomaru caught her gasp and looked over as she walked over to the boy.

Haku looked up and watched them.

Kagome smiled at him and knelt down. "Hi there. I'm Kagome. What's your name?"

"Hakurei but everyone calls me Haku." He said after a minute.

"That is such a nice name, Haku. Say, do you know anything about something called the Shikon no Tama?" Haku blinked a little.

"You mean this?" He asked as he pulled out the broken jewel. Kagome gasped a little, she hadn't seen anything of the jewel for years …

"Can I see it for a minute? I'll give it right back, I promise." Haku frowned and looked to Takara who nodded and he turned back to Kagome and slowly put the jewel in her hand.

Kagome looked at the jewel and she could feel the power pulsing through her body and she slowly handed it back to the boy.

"That's a pretty powerful jewel you've got there, Haku." Haku nodded a little.

"A priestess gave it to my family for protection." Kagome nodded a little and then shifted her attention to Takara.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Takara shrugged a little. "Better than I was, that's for sure."

Kagome smiled a little and kissed her daughter's forehead. "Well, we'll check on you later."

With that, she took Sesshomaru's hand and led him out of the room. Sesshomaru looked at the two and frowned a little but followed his mate anyways.

Kagome stopped once they were far enough away. "There's something about that boy that I just can't put my finger on."

Sesshomaru nodded. "Do you think he will be a threat or anything?" Kagome shook her head.

"No, he's too small and as far as I could tell, didn't have any powers or anything that would be useful." Sesshomaru nodded a little, sighing.

"I suppose that we will just have to wait and see what happens."

… … … … … … … … …… … … … … … …… … … … … … …… … … … … … …… … … … … … …… … … … … … …

**A/N: Sorry again … what is it with the short chapters and me? –Sigh- I don't mean to write such short chapters but I'll like run out of inspiration and then yeah … if I continue writing without inspiration, it starts sucking. Sorry again …**

**A HUGE HUGE GIGANTIC GINORMOUS THANK YOU TO EVERY LAST ONE OF MY REVIEWERS, CRAZY OR NOT!**


	18. The Announcement

**Chapter Eighteen**

**The Announcement**

**Disclaimer: Okay … you know what? Knock it off! Everyone gets the point that I don't own InuYasha and I didn't turn my computer back on a 1:30 in the morning just to be reminded of that!**

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Ai was in the room she was staying in, Rin looking at whom she considered to be her soon to be sister already with a smile.

"Ai, you look great. You will really knock them off their feet in that beautiful kimono." Ai looked at herself in the mirror, nodding a little. It had been two full weeks since Lady Kagome had come back with the love of her life. A small smile came to her when she thought of his beautiful chocolate brown eyes and those adorable ears of his …

Two full weeks and now she was getting ready for the single biggest party this era has seen since Sesshomaru first became mated to Kagome. She silently wondered if that would ever happen to her … with a certain silver haired dog-eared boy …

Rin laughed a little. "Are you just going to stand there all day looking at yourself or are you going to let me do your hair?" Ai blushed a little, sitting down at the vanity station.

"Sorry, Rin." Rin just smiled and began doing her hair.

"Thinking about my brother again?" Ai blushed.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Only to everyone except him of course." The two girls laughed and finally, Ai's beautiful brown hair was cascading down her back in waves and curls, making the girls smile.

"Rin, you are a miracle worker." Rin laughed a little.

"Well, c'mon, let's go. We'll miss our entrances." Ai nodded and met the boys at their meeting place at the top of the stairs. First to go was Kagome and Sesshomaru, of course, since they were the Lord and Lady of the castle. Second was Rin and Shippo then came Kasei and Ai, Takara and some escort that Sesshomaru had chosen for her and finally, Katsu and this little girl that he met, Mai.

Ai's heart was pounding and she could clearly hear the announcer announce Kagome and Sesshomaru and took a deep breath. She never was too great with crowds …

"Presenting, Princess Ai and Prince Kasei." That was their cue. Ai stepped forward, in time with Kasei and plastered a smile on her face and she heard hear murmurs and comments, some commenting on how Sesshomaru had a half demon son. She spared a look at Kasei to see that he was completely ignoring the comments, with great ease and perfection, she added.

Once everyone else was announced, the party got started. There was dancing and socializing and children playing. Katsu was one of those children, since most still considered him a child. Ai looked across the room to see Takara giving her escort a very cold shoulder and she chuckled a little. Poor guy probably didn't know what he was getting himself into when he agreed to escort her and secretly keep an eye on her, making sure she didn't go off and find some wounded demon or something and take it under her care. It always struck Ai as a little odd how on the outside, she looked and acted just like her father, minus the ears and hair color of course, but on the inside, she really was just as sweet as Kagome.

She felt a little nudge and looked over to see Kasei's chocolate brown eyes and smiled a little. "C'mon, there's something I want to show you." Takara nodded a little, following him and feeling him take her hand to help her through the thick crowd.

A watchful pair of eyes watched them leave but put it in the back of his mind for the moment, turning back to his duties at hand.

Ai looked around the gardens and gasped a little. There were loads of fireflies and they were floating around her, making her giggle when they floated into her chestnut tresses.

Kasei stopped underneath a weeping willow that was by a pond that had fresh running water flowing into it and sat down underneath the tree's braches after parting them for Ai.

Ai gasped as she looked around. The moonlight was shining through the branches and leaves and onto the water, which made the whole place have a closed off feel to it, which it essentially was. Ai briefly watched as the moonlight danced on Kasei's skin and made the rock in his ear stand out slightly more. After all this time, he'd still refused to take it out. Ai smiled at the thought. He certainly wasn't like anyone she had ever met …

Kasei looked up at her while she was looking around the natural wonder. She looked absolutely beautiful when he had first seen her that night and now … now she looked like one of those celestial beings he was told about. Her hair freely flowed down her back, like a river sculpting it's own path. Her blue eyes reflected the moonlight and reminded him of a rainbow. The kimono she wore sculpted her figure, hugging the important areas and fanning out slightly and her smile … god, her smile was something else. Her smile was usually the first thing that would send his gut into knots but this time, her smile made him want her. Not physically, not yet at least. But … he wanted to just bask in the loveliness of her.

Ai sat down next to him and smiled a little at him. "This place is beautiful, Kasei." Kasei smiled back at her.

"Yeah, I found it a couple days ago and we were just too busy for me to really show you. I thought you could use a break from all those high society types, anyways." Ai giggled a little.

"Well, I'm used to it so I can handle that crowd. It's pretty easy once you get it. Smile, nod, bow, walk around, greet guests, and make small talk." Kasei laughed.

"Okay, so I was lying. You caught me." Ai laughed a little. He was always so funny and charming …

"Well, I'm glad you saved me, kind prince." Kasei scoffed a little but a faint blush came to his cheeks as he looked away. They stayed silent for a while but it wasn't the uneasy kind of silence, it was a comfortable silence. They were just sitting there, enjoying each other's company.

"Hey, Ai." Ai turned her blue, blue eyes upon him and a tiny smile appeared.

"Hmm?"

Kasei looked away from her for a minute and Ai knew something was troubling him.

"What's wrong?" She laid a gentle hand on his and he unconsciously turned it so their fingers laced. They'd done it so many times it had become second nature but every now again, it would make them blush.

Kasei sighed a little, looking to her.

"Ai, do you think I'll ever become anything like my father? I've heard talk about half demons and how they're so much weaker and full demons and how they're a disgrace to any blood …" His ears dropped and Ai's heart ached for him. She had always been accepted in society since both her parents were full wolf youkai so she really didn't know much of what he went through.

Ai nudged him with her shoulder lightly, smiling at him. Kasei loved her smile. It always made him feel better even on his worst of days.

"If I know you and I believe I do, you'll do great. Just because you're a half demon doesn't mean anything. You'll be a great ruler one day, Kasei. You'll see." Kasei smiled at her.

"Thanks, Ai."

… … … … … … … … … … …… … … … … … … … … … …… … … … … … … … … … …… … … … … … … … … … …

A pair of eyes watched them from a tree a little ways away. With his eyes and hearing, he could see and hear everything and easily move around the forest without making a sound or even anyone detecting his scent one of the joys of fox powers.

It was so obvious that the two liked each other. So painfully obvious that sometimes, he just wanted to conk their heads together. He smirked at this, shaking his head a little.

In the long years he'd spent traveling with InuYasha and the group, he'd certainly picked up some of his habits but, of course, he'd never admit it to anyone but himself.

As he watched the pair, his thoughts began to wander and he found himself thinking of his younger sister, Takara and he shook his head. That onna was certainly something else! Cool and hard exterior, warm and soft interior, a nearly perfect mix between Sesshomaru and Kagome. Speaking of which … Kasei kind of reminded him of InuYasha, kind of.

His hearing shifted to back inside the castle, where the dinner part of the party was beginning to get underway and as much as he hated interrupting them, if they didn't show up, it'd be his fault. Jumping to a tree just before the entrance, Shippo then jumped down and straightened his kimono and walked towards them.

Besides … if they missed their father's announcement, he'd surely get in trouble for it. Separating the leaves and vines, Shippo noticed that they hadn't even seen him. Rolling his eyes, he cleared his throat.

… … … … … … … … … … …… … … … … … … … … … …… … … … … … … … … … …… … … … … … … … … … …

Kasei and Ai jumped apart and Shippo only laughed. "There's no need for that, you guys. It's only me. Besides, it might even be a good thing that there's chemistry there." The two looked at each other and then at Shippo.

He didn't reveal a thing. "Let's go. Dinner's almost ready and have you forgotten that father is making an importance announcement during dinner?" Kasei nodded a little.

"Right. I nearly forgot. I wonder what he's going to announce … I mean, I know there's SOMEONE here that knows but won't utter a word about it." Kasei said, glaring at Shippo who only smiled and shook his head.

"You'll find out soon enough. Let's go, already. If you're late then I'll get it later." Kasei smirked devilishly and Ai rolled her eyes, smacking him lightly.

"Kasei, be nice to him. I'm getting hungry anyways." Kasei nodded and they followed Shippo back to the sounds and the smells and the people …

Once arriving, Takara gave him a questioning look, signaling that she had found out that there was going to be an announcement. She didn't give any hint to knowing what it was about so Kasei only nodded a little and they all shuffled to the table, Kasei and Ai taking their arranged seats beside each other.

They didn't have to wait long. Soon, there was generous feast laid out for them. Kasei scanned it and recognized several things there. Pork, chicken, beef, lamb … you name it, it was there! He'd never seen so much food in his life at one time before and it was all laid out on platters and pretty little toppings.

A light tinkling of a glass made one of his ears swivel to the sound and he slowly pried his eyes from it and saw his father rise, standing tall and proud. He looked to his mother who was looking a little uncertain for some reason though she did look happy. Probably because she was back where she had yearned and longed and wished to be for the past eleven years. He still couldn't get over how long he'd been gone and how unfamiliar everything was.

"Good evening, everyone," Sesshomaru's voice brought Kasei's attention back to the matter at hand: the announcement.

"Before we thanks the gods for this wonderful feast and began our meal, I would like to have your attention as I have an important announcement to make." Kasei could feel the tension in the room and most of it was coming from his parents. He frowned a little, trying to figure out why but before he could get anywhere, Ai nudged him, glaring at him a little, her eyes telling him to pay attention.

"As you know, my first born son, Prince Kasei," Kasei bristled slightly at the title, "is now of mating age. You all also know what the tradition is in these times, regarding first born sons of mating age." There were nods and murmurs all around. Kasei began getting a sinking feeling. What did this mating have to do with him?

"So, I am pleased and proud to announce the official engagement of my son, Prince Kasei and the princess of the Northern Lands, Princess Ai." There was loud clapping and yells all around but Ai didn't hear any of it.

A blush heated her cheeks. Her and … and Kasei? They … they were … they were … engaged? She looked over to see a similar reaction on Kasei's face. Shock and confusion and … a blush …

Ai then went on autopilot for the rest of the evening before the guests left and then she picked up the all too familiar scent. Slowly turning, she saw her father standing outside with a smile.

"I thought I saw something fly between you two." Ai, honestly, wasn't sure whether to thank him or hate him. Part of her was outraged that he would do something like this to her but another part of her was happy because this all meant that she was going to be marrying the man she'd fallen hopelessly in love with in just two short weeks.

"Father … I honestly … don't know exactly how to react to this …" Kouga smiled a little, stepping up to his daughter and placing a kiss on her forehead.

"You'll be fine and you'll do fine as future Lady of the Western Lands." Ai nodded and then he left and then it hit her. Not only did she have a title now but also … she was going to have a title once Sesshomaru and Kagome stepped down …

Future Lady of the Western Lands …

The words rung in her head and she shook it, desperately trying to put everything together. Maybe if she slept on it then she could make better sense of it in the morning, she was pretty tired and she did just have a pretty long and emotionally wracking day.

She nodded then. Okay, tonight, she would just sleep on it and think more of it tomorrow.

Good luck with that …

… … … … … … … … … … …… … … … … … … … … … …… … … … … … … … … … …… … … … … … … … … … …

Kasei paced his room. He was a teenager with a problem. Hell, now he was a man with a problem! Sighing, he stopped by his bed and just fell onto his bed, burying his face into a pillow.

What was honestly bothering him? He had fallen hopelessly in love with Ai in just two short weeks and at least he didn't have to worry about asking her out or anything like that but … marriage was a big step and he didn't know how Ai felt about him … yet …

With a sigh, he rolled from his stomach to his back, looking up at the ceiling. They had about a month and a half to get used to being engaged until the wedding, which he had been told was going to be held in the late summer. Sighing again, he grabbed a pillow and threw it over his face, closing his eyes and trying to focus on what was really bothering him.

Well, there was the fact that he kind of wanted to do this whole thing on his own and that no one had even asked him but … he frowned, no … that wasn't the problem. Could it be that he didn't know if Ai wanted to be married to him? Heck, he didn't even know if she liked him in that way really. He sighed yet again, growing a little frustrated. No, that wasn't it either. Sure, he hadn't come out and asked her if she liked him but … she was giving off the hints that she did … Frowning, he sat up and decided to test this theory.

Walking to Ai's room, he knocked on the door softly. Ai opened it, obviously expecting it to be someone else because she was wearing the t-shirt he gave her that he had got at a concert once, also managing to get the entire band to sign it. Kasei's eyes went a little wide and he looked over her. The t-shirt was small on her, stopping long before her knees and hugging her curves perfectly.

Ai blushed deeply, looking down at the ground and … wait … what was that smell? Was that … arousal? She secretly looked down to his boxer shorts and confirmed her nose. Yes, it was defiantly arousal though she wasn't about to tell him and embarrass him. A slightly perverted thought entered her mind as she felt a tingling sensation in her abdomen and … it felt good.

Kasei's nose instantly picked up the change in her scent and his eyes widened a little. She was … having … thoughts … about him? He gulped a little, blushing.

"Um … Ai … could … I … come in?"

Ai blinked a little and her first reaction was to politely turn him away but she stopped herself and smiled a little at him and nodding, stepping back to let him in and closing the door behind her. Smart one, Ai, get yourself stuck between the love of your life and a closed door … she mentally smacked herself as she realized that she had done just that.

Kasei blushed a little and fidgeted. "I know that it probably doesn't matter and everything but … " He gathered his courage and looked into her blue eyes that always made him feel a little lost but in a good way.

"Do you like me?" Ai blinked a little at him and her heart began pounding a little, feeling a blush come to her cheeks.

"No Kasei, I don't like you … " Kasei's eyes widened a little and his heart stopped and it broke into millions of pieces. She … didn't like him? Something inside him told him to stop over reacting and he quickly listened to the voice and most of the pain was gone.

Ai smiled at him a little, stepping up towards him, confidence filling her. Unlike his father, Kasei couldn't put a mask on his emotions and they played themselves out on his beautiful face. When she saw the heartbreak, she knew that he felt the same.

"I don't like you, Kasei, I love you." Kasei looked to her, shocked. A blush came to his face and his heart started working again. She loved him? Her? Ai? Ai loved him? Yes, Ai loved him …

He looked into her blue eyes again, this time with a smile. "I love you, too …" Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and didn't even notice that Takara had opened the door and was standing against the doorway with a smirk on her face, her arms crossed.

Ai and Kasei jumped apart and Ai noticed that Katsu, Rin and Shippo were there as well. She blushed deeply, looking at the ground.

"Um … well … we should probably get some sleep. You know … big day tomorrow." Kasei nodded, blushing as well.

"Yeah … um … well … night." He leaned over and pecked her on her cheek before running off to his own room with a slam of the door. He could hear the laughter that erupted from the hallway.

Sesshomaru stepped out of the room he shared with Kagome and was only wearing a sheer robe but it covered the necessary parts. He narrowed his eyes to his four children.

"What the devil are you doing up at this hour? Get to bed, all of you!" The laughter instantly stopped and everyone ran off to his or her own rooms, closing the doors behind them.

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**A/N: I know, another short chapter but … well … I just want to hurry up and get to chapter 20! Why you ask? Well, you know how we all crossed a huge milestone with Kasei and Ai (who make a lovely wonderful couple, don't you think, Mel?) Well, chapter 20 is going to be different. I'll give you all a hint: LOTS OF FLUFF!**

**Oh yeah … as I'm writing this and then the next two chapters (hopefully anyways) fan fiction is down. I can't even log in for whatever mad reason! I've been trying to review on this story for the past two days now and I haven't been able to and it's starting to make me a tad mad!**

**Obviously, it will all be fixed and resolved once you read this and I expect lots of reviews for these chapters! (Hehe, I'm only kidding. You really don't have to review if you don't want to but I would like it if you did … they make me happy and inspire me lots)**

**I Love Every Last Single One Of My Reviews (the nice ones anyways) You Are All Cherished Greatly With Every Ounce Of My Life Especially My Regular Reviewers –Smiles and hands out cookies and candy and cans of soda-**


	19. A New Mother

**Chapter Nineteen**

**A New Mother**

**Disclaimer: Man, are you lawyer idiots deaf, blind AND illiterate? Let me break it down for you. I Don't Own InuYasha. OBVIOUSLY! Gah! Bakas! The lot of you!**

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It had been about two and a half weeks since the announcement of Kasei and Ai's engagement and Takara couldn't be happier for her twin brother.

Her, on the other hand, hadn't found anyone even remotely suitable and both her parents knew that it would be no use trying to get her go co-operate with someone she didn't even like.

She was heading towards a village that she had been going to regularly. She had actually made quick friends with some of the girls about her age at the village and one of them was pregnant and due any day now. Takara slowed her pace a little; looking behind her to make sure her little companion that she had just kind of adopted was keeping up with her.

A smile touched her lips as she saw him laboring behind her and she stopped, waiting for him. Today, she was wearing a white kimono with a large silver dog woven on it and pink splashes with white flowers. She liked wearing pink because it contrasted so nicely with her raven black hair and ears.

Hakurei quickly caught up with her and saw her smile and smiled back. She was so beautiful, he mused while walking beside her. They came upon the hill that overlooked the village and a few women looked up and saw them, stopping and waving with smiles.

They walked into the village and stopped several times to talk with some of the villagers and to get her advice on some things from the villagers. One of the village men stopped her and smiled at her. Haku knew who he was. He was Haratshi, one of the finest bakers in the village.

"Ah, Takara!" He said with a smile, heading towards them. Takara stopped and smiled at him. He was such a sweet old man.

"Hey there, Haratshi. How are you this morning?" The man grinned at her.

"Well, these old bones are holding up well, that elixir you recommended did me good." Takara giggled slightly, her smile warming more.

"I'm glad to hear it."

"I see you're looking as beautiful and radiant as ever." Takara laughed a little. Harmless flirting with him was always part of their routine.

"With comments like that, I just might give you that kiss you're always begging me for." The old man laughed joyfully, taking her hand and patting it.

"Well, this old timer could use some of your magic and it always helped to have someone as pure as young Haku here." Haku beamed proudly. He had always liked Haratshi; from the very day he met him.

"Good morning, Haratshi! I brought you some more recipes from the castle's head cook again." Haku handed him the parchment with a smile.

"Ah, you are very kind, the lot of you. Kindred spirits is what you two are, Haku." Takara smiled a little.

"So, how are those new spring rolls coming along?" The old man's face brightened.

"Oh! I nearly forgot! Come, come, the both of you. I added a little something." He handed them each one and Takara munched happily on it, her eyes growing.

"Haratshi, you really outdid yourself this time! These are delicious! I think you might have to give your extra ingredients to Haku so he can add them to the recipe!" Haku nodded in agreement, finishing off his roll quickly.

The old man laughed a little. "Well, how about I think about it for a little kiss?" Takara chuckled a little and turned his head gently, kissing his soft leathery cheek. The old man chuckled a little, teasing her about how he'd get a real kiss from her one day. Takara smiled, shaking her head. She loved this little village.

"Oh! Are you seeing Miss Aimi this morning?" Takara nodded.

"Yes, I am actually. Is there something you would like me to bring her?" Haratshi nodded, handing her a basket of muffins and a few little cakes.

"Today is a busy day for me so I won't be able to deliver it in person. Do you mind?" Takara smiled and shook her head.

"Of course not, I'm going there right now anyways so it's certainly no trouble." Haratshi smiled.

"Well, we should be getting there. Don't want to keep her waiting." Takara said with a smile as she began walking further into the rather large village, giving a wave to the old baker.

Haku followed Takara faithfully, waving at some of the village men that were working in the fields as they quickly came upon Aimi's home.

Takara smiled when she spotted her friend sitting in her favorite chair, watching everyone hustle about as she rested a hand on her swollen belly. Her smile increased when Haku rushed past her and hugged Aimi with love.

"Good morning, Aimi. I see you still haven't taken my advice about staying inside." Takara said in her teasing voice. The young woman with the light brown hair and sparkling blue eyes turned to her and smiled a little.

"I knew you couldn't be far off, Takara." She told the teenage half demon. Takara smiled back, setting the basket down after taking out a muffin for herself, Haku and her friend.

"How are you feeling today? Any progress?" Aimi nodded a little.

"Yes, actually. This morning, I began having small pains and just a little while before you came, my water broke." Takara smiled.

"It's not too painful, I hope." Aimi smiled and shook her head.

"Not overly though it does cause some discomfort, it isn't as bad as I thought it would be though my mother told me that it was different for every woman." Takara nodded a little.

"And the priestess from the next village is coming?" Her question was confirmed with a nod. Haku was listening intently on the ladies' conversation and he silently wondered if Takara would be his new mother …

Takara's ear swiveled a little and she looked up to a fairly toned and bronzed man who was approaching them with a smile. Haku smiled at him, glad to see that Aimi's husband was checking up on his pregnant and soon to be giving birth wife.

"Hello there, Takara." Takara smiled back.

"Hey there, Hojo. Are you staying home from the fields, today?" He shook his head sadly.

"Unfortunately not. One of the men injured himself a few days ago and is unable to work so I have agreed to help them as much as I can though they do allow me to come and check up on my lovely Aimi frequently. Even more so now that the news of her giving birth sometime today has gotten around the village." Takara smiled a little.

"Well, at least you get some breaks. Would you care for a muffin, courtesy of Haratshi?" Hojo smiled but shook his head a little.

"No thanks. I just came to check up on her but I must get back to the fields." The three nodded and waved good-bye after husband and wife shared a quite adorable kiss.

Takara was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall of the hut, looking out at the view with Aimi sitting in the chair and Haku sitting beside her. He was unusually quiet but before she could question the boy, a pained noise caught her attention.

She looked to Aimi, who was clutching her stomach, panting a little. "I can feel it ready to join us now."

Takara paled a little, jumping up. "But, the priestess still hasn't arrived yet!" Her statement was only met by another painful moan.

Deciding that she would have to do something about it herself, she shifted before picking up her friend.

"Haku, go and find Hojo and inform him about this and then go fetch a bucket of water." Haku jumped to his feet, nodding and taking off with his legs carrying him as fast as they could.

Takara then went inside the hut and placed her friend on the futon, bringing many pillows underneath her to prop her up and then hiked up her kimono to spread her legs. She had read about this once, in a book that she had rented from her school library because she was doing a report and was actually interested in the subject.

She found lots of blankets and towels and quickly set up a station, taking a cloth from the stack that she would use for the water when Haku returned with it.

Hojo rushed into the hut in a near panic and Takara rolled her eyes a little.

"What can I do?" Just then, Haku came back with the water. Takara took the cloth and dipped it into the water that was now beside Hojo who was holding Aimi's hand, rung it out and handed it to him.

"Put this on her forehead and keep it cool and damp. You're going to have to push soon, Aimi." She silently cursed the priestess for not coming quicker!

"What can I do, Takara?" She thought for a second. Everything was pretty much taken care of but she didn't want to leave Haku out of something so important.

"You can be in charge of the towels, alright? This is very important because when I pull the baby out, you have to have a towel ready and put it on the baby and start to wipe it down." Haku nodded, taking his responsibility very seriously.

It wasn't really a major role but, it was one less thing that she had to worry about.

"Okay, Aimi, push." A pained cry came from her friend. After a few seconds, Takara told her friend to relax and breathe, which the other woman did with relief.

Haku was watching intently, never having witnessed the birth of a child before while Hojo was doing as he was told, dipping the cloth in the water and ringing it out repeatedly to put it back on her forehead and move it around so that he cooled down her face and her neck as well as her forehead.

After a few pushes, Takara could safely pull and ease the infant out of the mother and smiled a little.

"Congratulations, it's a girl." The child gave a shrill cry and Haku quickly did his job very efficiently. Takara took another cloth and cut the cord with her claws, absentmindedly wiping them clean on her kimono and then dipping a cloth into the water and wiping the child down.

She then wrapped the infant up, setting her down on her mother's chest as both parents held tears in their eyes. Her senses then detected the priestess and then stood when she entered the hut, surprised to see that everyone was well and the baby had been delivered.

Takara walked out of the hut and Haku followed her quickly as they left the priestess to do the analysis on the health and condition of both mother and child, even though her superior nose was telling her that both were fine.

Haku was looking up at Takara as he washed his hands in the same stream that he had gotten the water from and frowned when he saw the blood on her beautiful kimono.

After a few minutes, she sat down set to him, letting her own hands run in the stream and her thoughts were broken by a curious but cautious Haku.

"Takara?" Golden eyes turned to the boy.

"Yes?"

"Are all babies born that way?" She thought for a minute and nodded.

"Most of them are but sometimes there are complications which endangers the health and life of mother and child. This doesn't happen often, though." Haku nodded a little.

"That must be a terrible thing. For a mother to lose her child in that way …" Takara nodded a little and resumed thinking.

"Takara?"

"Hmm?"

"Was I born like that?" This made the woman turn to him, a slight frown on her beautiful features.

"Probably. I don't doubt it or that your mother parents loved you very much." Haku nodded a little and fell silent. A few questions lingered in her mind but she decided best not to ask them.

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A while later, after the priestess had left, Hojo had reluctantly returned to the fields after some convincing from both Aimi and Takara.

"Have you picked out a name for her?" Haku asked, looking at the sleeping infant curiously. She was cute.

Aimi nodded a little, gently rubbing the child's back. "Yes."

"Well, what is it?" Takara demanded, sounding almost Haku's age in her curiosity to know.

Aimi smiled, looking down at the child on her chest.

"Hana. We've decided to call her Hana." Haku looked at the child again, nodding.

"She looks like she suits the name." Takara smiled, nodding.

"Yeah, it's a really nice name, Aimi. I can't wait for her to grow older." Aimi nodded a little and then shifted.

"Takara, would you mind holding her? I have to go relieve myself."

"Oh, no, Aimi. I really couldn't … I mean … I could hurt her … with … you know … my claws." Haku looked at his adoptive mother curiously. Why was she acting this way? Normally she was so calm and collected and he knew for a fact that he wouldn't hurt anyone, big or small, old or young!

Aimi smiled a little. "It's okay, Takara. You won't hurt her." Slowly, Takara nodded and Aimi handed her the slipping infant that was loosely wrapped in a light pink blanket. The half demon could only stare down at the child that slept peacefully on, completely unaware of her current protector.

Hearing screams, Takara's eyes widened and she bounded outside, only to see a demon crashing through the village, killing anyone and everyone that was in their path.

Including the new infants parents; Aimi and Hojo.

She didn't even have time to react when the demon turned to her, smelling the new blood on her before it charged at her. Quickly, she grabbed Haku and broke through the hut, leaping into the air, holding onto both children tightly and then bounding into the forest.

Once they were safe for now, Takara quickly shed her outer kimono, slightly regretfully since it was so beautiful and obviously expensive but it had blood on it and the demon wouldn't stop until it was either killed or the smell had disappeared.

Picking Haku up again, she dashed further into the forest and once she could no longer sense the demon in any way, she stopped and her ears were sent folding back against her head with a high pitched wail from the new infant.

Sighing slightly, she gently comforted her, not even realizing how much her natural motherly instincts were kicking in.

"Hush, Hana, hush." She said softly, trying to hold back the wave of emotions that she felt. She had just witnessed an entire village of friends and good people get slaughtered and murdered. Friends, good friends, friends like Aimi and Hojo who were just celebrating the birth of their new child and were now laying on the ground, murdered in blind rage.

Haku was also shocked but his emotions flowed from him so much more freely than her own. Tears suddenly streamed down the boys' face and Takara knelt down, putting an arm around him as he cried into her under kimono.

Takara's own heart felt like it was being ripped into two but … she felt a squirm next to her breast and looked down, a small beacon of hope shining through the terrible sadness.

Aimi and Hojo were not completely gone … they lived on inside Hana, their daughter. Picking up Haku, she held him against her, one arm under his knees as he put his arms around her neck, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

Takara started back to the castle, grateful that they weren't too far and they would be there in a couple hours. With a light sigh, she kept her guard up for any new threats and began walking.

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Takara walked in with Haku and Hana sleeping and managed to get past a few people without being noticed, then she spotted her mother.

Kagome turned around and smiled at her daughter but frowned when she saw the girl's state. She wasn't dirty or anything but … she was holding two sleeping children, one looking no more than a few hours old and her outer kimono was missing and restrained pain was hardly visible but it was there.

Kagome, being herself, went over quickly, taking Haku from her daughter and looking at her and motioned for her to follow her to her and Sesshomaru's room.

Once there, Kagome laid Haku down but Takara wouldn't put down the infant and just kept looking at her, occasionally tucking the pink blanket around her carefully.

"What happened? Where did you find that baby?"

Takara sighed a little. "You know how I told you that I was going to see my friend Aimi and her husband Hojo?" Kagome nodded.

"Well, this is their daughter." Kagome frowned a little.

"I see. Why do you have her?"

"Because … a demon that smelled the blood of a new born came and slaughtered the entire village and we barely managed to escape with our lives." Takara's voice cracked and she made a fist, trying to desperately put the mask back on, just like her father had done so many times before she was born. Kagome's heart really went out to her daughter. She just witnessed the tragic death of a whole village of innocent people that really didn't deserve to die.

"I could have saved them, Mom. If only I had refused to hold Hana for Aimi or insisted that I go with her or if I had been standing guard or something. I could have saved them … I could have … "

Kagome sighed a little, stepping up to her daughter and gently taking her hand.

"Takara, this is not your fault. You couldn't have done anything to prevent this or to save her parents, you know this, and I know you do. Besides, try and look on the bright side, not all is lost. You still managed to save a little piece of them … " Kagome stepped back slightly, gently brushing back the baby's light brown hair.

Takara looked down and slowly nodded. "You're … right. You usually are … "

Kagome smiled and kissed her daughter's forehead. "You did what you could."

Takara nodded a little, looking down at the baby as she slept in her arms, completely unaware of anything that had just happened.

"I want to keep her, Mom." Kagome frowned at her daughter's words.

"This is a baby, honey. This isn't going to be like looking after Haku who is already quite able to at least somewhat look after himself."

Takara nodded. "I know but I want to. I am really all she has … " Takara gave her mother a pleading look and sighed a little.

"Okay, okay. Just … let me talk to your father about it." Takara nodded a little and Kagome took off in search of her mate.

Just then, Katsu bounded in with a silly smirk. "TAKARA! YOU'RE BACK!" The loud noise awoke the sleeping child and a shrill cry filled her ears and echoed out into the hallway. Takara flattened her ears against the loud noise and quickly quieted the infant, glaring at her brother who was shaking his head to clear the ringing in his ears.

"Don't go yelling and jumping around like that, Katsu." She told him sternly but in a normal voice. Katsu blinked and walked over to his older sister, looking at the child.

"I didn't even notice that you were pregnant, Takara. Wait till Kasei and Shippo and Rin hear this!" Before Takara could correct him, he was gone. Sighing a little, she sat down on the bed and then laid the child down, lying down beside her.

"What am I going to do? Aimi and Hojo would want Hana to be with someone they trusted and we were such close friends and … plus … they both said that if anything ever happened to them, their child would be left in my care."

"Well it seems you've gotten yourself into quite a pickle, sis." A male voice said from behind her and Takara jumped slightly, not even realizing that Shippo was in the room using his invisible trick again.

She sighed a little and Shippo came around and looked at the infant. "She's sure cute."

Takara nodded a little. "I take it you heard what I told mom." He nodded.

"Yeah, it's sad but in a way, better that it happened now rather than later when she would have memories of her parents."

"Like Haku." Takara said absent-mindedly.

Shippo nodded. "On the other hand, it is kind of sad that she won't have any memories of her parents to remember them by." Takara nodded again.

"Double edged sword." Shippo nodded.

"Yeah. Life's full of those, I've noticed." Takara nodded a little and sighed again.

"Do you have any idea of how to care for a baby?" The fox youkai shook his head slightly.

"Sorry, no. I wonder how dad will take this. I highly doubt that mom will let him turn her away or anything like that." Takara nodded in agreement.

"He'd literally be in the dog house." Shippo laughed at the expression but made sure it was quiet so not to wake the sleeping kids.

"Indeed I would." Said a strong male voice that made her older brother jump and quickly scurry out of the room. Takara looked up and her father's figure filled the doorway and he looked slightly strained.

Walking in, he looked at the completely innocent child and his objection to having her quickly melted though he remembered how much babies needed constant care.

"She is not just some pet you can feed a couple times a day and leave to go about their own business." He started and Takara glared at him a little.

"I think I know that. I've looked after Haku for this long, haven't I?" Sesshomaru winced a little, sighing.

"Takara, I wasn't meaning to say that in the way it came out. I know that you're quite aware of the fact that she is not a pet or anything of the sort but do you really know how much work entails an infant?" Takara glared at him again.

"I've been looking after Haku." She snapped. He nodded, realizing just how much she reminded him of her mother, soft and gentle but slightly quick to temper if she feels that her skills or morals are on the line.

"I know and I admire how good of a job you have been doing but, she is just an infant, only a few hours old to make things worse. Babies need much, much more care and attention and love than a child of Haku's age would. I know what I'm talking about, I went through it with you and your brother, at the same time, no less. Your mother went through it with Katsu. You remember what it had been like with your new baby brother, don't you?" Takara could remember fuzzily but it was there.

She remembered how much he cried and he ALWAYS seemed to be crying! Crying because he was hungry, crying because he was wet, crying because he was cold, hot, uncomfortable, fussy, feeling lonely and crying just for the sake of crying.

She also remembered how tired her mother was and how messy the apartment usually was and how, since their mother was so tired, she was also cranky and emotionally unstable, able to burst into tears or yell at them at the drop of a hat.

Takara nodded slowly. "I remember but … she needs me. I'm the only family she's got now."

Sesshomaru sighed a little again, nodding, sitting down next to her. "I know, dear. I just want to make sure that you're absolutely positive before going through with this. It's a very big decision and even though we will all help you as much as we can, she is mainly your responsibility."

Takara nodded again, looking down at Hana who was sleeping peacefully, a whimper or a sigh here and there. What could she really do? She couldn't just give Hana to some … person who didn't know her or her parents. She couldn't do that and wouldn't, her respect for herself refused to let that happen. Aimi and Hojo told her clearly that if anything ever happened to them and they wanted Takara to take her in.

Essentially, it made her Hana's godmother. The title struck something in her and she decided that she couldn't just give the child up even if she wanted to, which she didn't.

Hana had been given a second chance at life when Takara saved her and even from the heavens, Aimi and Hojo trusted Takara with their most precious possession, their daughter Hana.

Sighing slightly, she looked up at Sesshomaru and golden eyes studied golden eyes for a few minutes before Takara broke the silence.

"I accept any and all burdens, joys and responsibilities for her. I thought long and hard on this and I've decided that even from the heavens, Aimi and Hojo still trust me with their most precious possession."

Slowly, Sesshomaru nodded and he smiled, kissing her forehead before getting up. "Do you want some help moving Haku to your room?" Takara nodded a little with a smile.

"Please." Sesshomaru smiled back, easily picking up the boy and then walking into Takara's room and laying him down in the white sheets.

Takara had always liked her new room, as it was a strong contrast in colors. Reds, blues, whites, pinks, blacks, greens, purples and oranges, Takara had always thought that her room represented the rainbow that she had loved when she was a child herself.

Lying down next to Haku. She shifted over and placed a still sleeping Hana on the bed. She grabbed one of her pillows and put it under her head as she slowly drifted off to a much needed sleep while she thought about Haku and Hana, how they were both orphans but … somehow … she had been in the right place at the right time, both times and somehow, managed to save them both.

Did this make her a savior? Takara didn't know but she didn't much care. The thought that was with her as she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep wasn't of being a savior.

I guess I am classified as their mother …their new mother …and …a new mother … 

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**A/N: I know, I'm so mean! Having the poor girl's parents slaughtered when she is just a few hours old … bad Rinny! But new plots and twists keep the story moving.**

**Gomen nasai for not updating sooner! Fanfiction was down and I couldn't even get to the login screen or review never mind actually update! I did put up chapter eighteen today and I stayed up until 1am, just following my inspirations on this one.**

**Anyways … the next chapter is the BIG chapter! CHAPTER 20! YAY! –Celebrates- I've had big plans for this chapter and you know how lately, the chapters have been focusing on just one or two characters … well … chapter 20 focuses on Kasei and Ai … the newly engaged couple –grins-.**

**A HUGE HUGE HUGE INREDIABLY HEART FELT AND GIGANTIC THANK YOU TO EVERY SINGLE LAST ONE OF MY REVIEWERS WITH INTERESTING REVIEWS OR NOT!**


	20. The Kiss, The Curse

**Chapter Twenty**

**The Kiss, The Curse**

**Disclaimer: -The lawyers look like they're going to cry- Yeah … that's right! I can be mean but … I can also rock! Oh yeah … I still don't own InuYasha, but I do own Sesshy's and Kagome's children. Heh.**

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It had been a couple weeks since Takara had brought the human infant to the castle and no one was getting any sleep.

Kasei was sleeping for a couple hours when early dawn broke and he didn't notice until a cry from across the hall woke him. Growling a little, he grabbed a pillow, cramming it over his sensitive ears, trying to block out the cry but was unsuccessful. Once the crying was ceased, he let out a relieved sigh and attempted to go back to sleep and pulled it off … for the next twenty minutes, that is.

Another cry came again and this time, it was more pronounced and wouldn't go away. Sighing, he sat up, stomping towards Takara's room in only his boxers.

"What are you doing to that poor kid?" He demanded grumpily. Takara just rolled her eyes.

"I'd like to see you do better." Kasei glared at her.

"Fine. I will." Kasei took the child from his twin sister and took a towel, putting the child to his shoulder and rubbing in an upward direction.

To both their surprise, the child quieted and a burp could be heard. The twins looked at each other, blinking. It actually worked?

Apparently it had because then the child settled down into sleep. Takara yawned a little, taking Hana from her brother and laying her in the basket.

Kasei sighed. "Let's try and get back to sleep." Takara nodded.

"I agree." With that, Kasei left for his own room and crawled into his bed, not realizing that he had an intruder of his own.

With a sigh, he closed his eyes and then his nose picked up a special scent and slowly … the 'intruder' rolled to face him with a smile. Kasei's eyes grew and his heart pounded.

"Ai." He breathed out, causing her to smile again.

"Good morning. I saw what you did and … it was really sweet. I didn't know how good you were with children. Small children, I mean, like babies." Kasei blushed a little. He couldn't stop thinking about Ai was in HIS bed and he didn't even have to hardly do anything but be himself for it to happen!

"Uh … thanks. I didn't know either … " Ai smiled, her blue eyes sparkling a little.

"Want to go for a walk?" Kasei nodded a little, his mouth still hanging open and Ai got up with a smile.

"I'll meet you outside then." With that, she was gone.

Kasei slowly reached over and, to make sure it wasn't just some mind trick from lack of sleep, touched the still warm spot where Ai had just been. Nope, defiantly not a dream or a tick or anything like that …

Drawing in a shaky breath, Kasei got up, changing into a deep blue kimono with purple and white.

Ai was standing in the early morning sunshine, in a kimono that was pink and looked like it had been carefully splashed with blue. Her chestnut tresses were teasing her back and unbounded, her blue eyes closed and her face turned to the gentle breeze.

When Kasei saw her, his heart felt like it stopped. She looked like a goddess …

Slowly, deep blue eyes that shone in the light, making them seem like they held the depths of the sea in them, turned to him and a smile came to her slightly pink lips.

"I thought you wouldn't come for a minute." She said softly, her voice like soft, sweet music to his ears and made them twitch a little and he smiled back.

"I could never stay away from you. After all, we are going to be getting married." Ai smiled back at him, nodding a little.

"True."

Slowly, they began walking, hand in hand, a comfortable silence between them. They had walked so long that they came to one of their favorite spots. There was a river only a few steps away and the ground was covered in a lush, soft green grass and it had a scattered field of flowers.

Trees lined the spot and allowed for plenty of sunshine in the clearing. Nature was in perfect harmony in that moment.

Kasei's eyes met the beautiful depths of Ai's and slowly, they closed the distance between each other and …

Their lips met and all Kasei could hear was the birds chirping merrily somewhere off in the distance. She felt just so good, so right, so … everything.

Ai melted against him a little and she found herself clutching his kimono, feeling like if she didn't hang onto him, she was going to fall off the edge of the Earth …

Slowly, almost time stopping slow, the kiss ended and both hanyou and full youkai looked at each other, their eyes speaking more than words ever could. With that, Ai buried her face in Kasei's kimono with a smile and a blush.

Kasei wrapped his arms around her and they stood there for a minute, just like that. Ai in Kasei's arms and Kasei's arms wrapped around her lovingly. Time went on slowly, the world passing them by for now until a small splash from a fish in the water brought them back to their reality.

Ai laughed a little and Kasei smiled and both of them looked at each other before Kasei cupped the back of her neck and brought his lips down onto hers again.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Shippo was looking between Kasei and Ai, back to Kasei and then to Ai again. He couldn't figure it out but … something seemed … different about them, but what? Frowning, he crossed his arms, still looking at them. What had happened between them, anyways? Yesterday, they were so embarrassed they could hardly stand being in the same room as each other but now they were sitting next to each other and exchanging looks.

Deciding that he would just wait until after breakfast, Shippo nudged Rin and motioned his head towards them. Rin noticed this and nodded a little, understanding that they would question them after the morning meal.

The rest of the morning, it was silent and Kasei's ears twitched as he began smelling rain …

It was well after breakfast when Kasei noticed that it was going to rain and he stood just inside the doors, watching as the sky darkened with dangerous clouds and then, in seconds, rain water began coming down in buckets. His ears twitched again and he could smell Haku and … fear coming off him.

Growling, he took off towards the sounds and calls for help. When he arrived, Haku was on the ground, shaking and bleeding, his hair clinging to his wet back in the rain.

There was a hungry demon that looked like a dangerous cross between a rabbit and badger and Kasei could smell the boy's blood on the demon's claws. Announcing himself with a low and feral growl, the demon looked up at Kasei and growled back, instantly attacking him swiftly and quickly.

The rain slowed Kasei's movements down but he managed to dodge the red claws just in time. The demon growled and charged at him again and Kasei escaped narrowly again. Just when he landed, he slipped on the wet ground and fell face first into the mud, causing a perfect moment for the demon to best him.

With rage in its mind at Kasei interrupting his meal of the young human boy, the demon sank it's claws into Kasei's side since Kasei moved but didn't move fast enough. Crying out in extreme pain, Kasei clutched his side and whatever was in the demon's claws, it was injected into him and he was slowly losing control over his body. Fighting whatever kind of poisons or spell or something had begun taking over Kasei's body, he managed to wrap his hands around the demon's wrist and slowly shove it out of his body before it all was injected. His vision was beginning to get dark, he was quickly losing his strength and just before he blacked out completely, he saw Haku somehow shoot a light out of his hand. Closing his eyes, he desperately tried to make sense of this … how could the boy do that? He hadn't detected any kind of spiritual powers from him …

Kasei groaned a little and Haku must have heard him because he was kneeling over him when he opened his eyes again. He could see him talking but … he couldn't hear anything. Why couldn't he hear anything? He saw Haku look up and yell something; at least, it looked like he was yelling…

Kasei groaned again. His head hurt so much … he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore … sleep was calling him and … they were telling him that his head would stop hurting. He didn't want to hurt, anymore …

Closing his eyes, he began drifting towards the darkness but he could remotely feel someone pick him up and then … a little while later … he was put down somewhere warm and dry. It was so nice and warm, wherever he was and … whatever he was on was so soft.

In the waking world, Haku was shaking Kasei, trying to wake him up but Takara took his hand and sat him down on a bed to check on his wounds. She was worried about her brother, true, but he was a fighter and a half demon while Haku was only a small boy and full human though whatever was affecting her brother wasn't affecting Haku.

The healers of the castle were truly confused. It had only been minutes since they had wrapped up Master Kasei's serious wounds and now … they were nearly healed! One of them hurried off to tell Lord Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru was in his study, trying to get through his mounds of paperwork when a knock on the door roused him from his grumbling.

"Enter." He said stiffly and the healer opened the door slowly and bowed. Sesshomaru raised his brows at this.

"Lord Sesshomaru, you might want to see this. It is your son, Master Kasei." A bit of panic rose up in Sesshomaru's chest and he nodded a little, rising and following the healer to the room.

Kasei was laying on the bed, the bandages covered in blood but there was nothing more than a few minor scratches on his side where the wound had been and though the room was toasty, the boy was shivering violently as some of the other healers put more blanket over him and the others were changing the bowls of water that were being used to keep the boy's forehead cool.

Sesshomaru frowned a little and inhaled a deep breath of the boys scent and closed his eyes. He did not sense or smell sick and yet, his physical state was saying otherwise. For once, the taiyoukai didn't know what to do.

"Keep him on bed rest and make sure he has plenty of herbal tea." The healers nodded and he left the room and found his mate sitting on the stairs, clutching Kasei's kimono that was ripped and torn, covered in blood and soaking wet.

Kagome was clutching it to her chest and sobbing into the material, close to hysterics. Shippo and Rin were sitting with her, trying to desperately comfort and console their mother.

With a sigh, Sesshomaru knelt down to his mate and took the cloth, hushing her gently when she protested and picking her up in his arms as Rin and Shippo rose as well. He handed them the cloth.

"Something is not right. Take this to the priestess Kaede in the Eastern Lands, she should know how to deal with this." They nodded and hurried to gather their things and leave on their new mission.

Placing a kiss on his mate's forehead, he brought her to their quarters and gently laid her down on the bed, watching as she fell asleep. He would find out what was wrong, he vowed. Before it was too late …

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Days later, Kasei finally showed signs of recovery but Sesshomaru was not happy though, at his wife and mate's insistent pleas, he finally allowed his son to return to his normal activities. Things had been strange and were making everyone in the castle uneasy and jumpy and Sesshomaru was noticing it more and more. Yesterday, he found a message written in blood and one of his servant's dead. The day before, Katsu and Haku were playing in the covered area in the courtyard when they had said something had slashed their ball and was following them, they boys were so spooked that they hadn't gone outside for the rest of the day.

Another strange thing was that it hadn't stopped raining since the attack on Haku and Kasei. All the water was surely needed after the long, long scorching summer that they had just had but it was making Sesshomaru uneasy and restless and with the high rate in killings in his lands, it wasn't safe for even him to really be outside for a prolonged period of time.

To make things worse, Rin and Shippo hadn't returned yet …

"Sesshomaru." Kagome's voice brought him out of his thoughts. He had been standing at their bedroom window, staring out at the rain and the dark clouds for the last four hours though he hadn't noticed. It was now four in the morning.

"Sesshomaru." Kagome called again, this time her voice was a little more urgent. With the dark, nearly black clouds that had been over the lands, there wasn't much light and now that winter was nearly upon them, the sun would not even rise until around eight in the morning, making it even darker than usual.

"It's alright, Kagome. I'm still here." He heard her relieved sigh and smelt her dwindling fear and he smiled a little.

"Why aren't you sleeping? It's four in the morning." Sesshomaru nodded a little.

"I know but I am worried about Rin and Shippo and other things." He heard the rustle of the blankets and felt her arms go around his waist. He put an arm around her instinctively, bringing her closer to his body.

"I'm worried, too. Shippo is a very strong youkai though and Rin has had extensive training so they should be fine." Sesshomaru nodded.

"I am also concerned about the growing number of deaths that has penetrated even my castle. I want everyone on high alert and all the young kids to be with either you, Takara or I." Kagome nodded then she realized that she hadn't mentioned Kasei.

"What about the others?"

"They would be safe with Ai as well."

"And Kasei?" Sesshomaru didn't answer for a long time. He didn't know what was wrong or why his gut and instincts were telling him to keep everyone away from him and even to barricade the boy in the dungeon but Kagome would never allow him to lock the boy up. Even if it was for their protection …

Sesshomaru shook his head a little, pushing the thoughts out of his head. What threat was his son to the safety of the rest of the castle? What possibly made him think that he would need to resort to locking up his own flesh and blood?

"I don't know, Kagome. He seems to be fine but … my instincts are telling me that everything is not as well as it seems … "

Kagome was also silent for a long time as she thought over this new bit of information. He had been acting a little strange lately. Also, Sesshomaru's instincts have never been wrong before, if anything, they had been right on target with everything. But … could they, WERE they right about this?

Slowly, she sorted out her words in her mind and slowly formed her answer.

"I know he's been acting strange and I also know that your instincts have never been anything but right on. I can't help but wonder if they could possibly be wrong this time, though." Sesshomaru let out a barely inaudible sigh.

"I have also thought on this but I have also dismissed it. I am not sure of what to do." Kagome nodded a little.

"Neither am I."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Kasei was tossing in his sleep, in his room. His body was covered in sweat and he kept having these strange dreams with these … people telling him to kill his family … but … he couldn't! They were his family! He couldn't kill his family!

Panting hard, he gripped the pillows and the bed, groaning a little. No … he couldn't kill his family. Why would he want to?

Kasei's Dream Start 

Kasei was looking around, trying to figure out where he was. He was only wearing his boxer shorts and it was raining and the cold water droplets were soaking him and he couldn't smell anything because of it. He shivered, looking around again. Slowly, he realized that he was where the demon had attacked Haku. But, why was he there?

_Kill them. _

Kasei spun around, prepared to fight but he found nothing and no one. He was alone.

"Who's there? What do you want?"

_KILL them!_

Kasei was starting to get a little scared. There was this voice but there was no one there.

"Why? Who?"

_Kill them. Your family. Kill your family. _

Kasei shook his head, backing up until he had backed himself into a tree.

"No. I won't do it. You can't make me!"

_You know you want to, Kasei. _

"No I don't!"

_Yes you do. I can see it, your deepest desires, your wants, your needs, everything. I can see everything. I can see how you want to punish your father for leaving you, your sister and your mother. I can see you want to make things right._

Kasei shook his head again.

"No! Leave me alone! Go away!" With that, he began running. He didn't know where he was running to and suddenly, everything was just black. He couldn't see any light, couldn't feel anything but fear, couldn't smell anything, couldn't see anything, and couldn't hear anything. The only thing he could do was feel the fear that was rising up in him and beginning to choke him.

He couldn't breathe!

Scratching his neck, he tried to pull away from whatever was holding him and run again but he couldn't. All he could do was pull and scratch at the nothingness.

Gradually, he sank to his knees, his will finally broken.

_Kill them._

Kasei nodded and rose, his eyes completely lifeless. "Yes master."

Suddenly, he was clothed and he was standing in the courtyard, the dead bodies of his sister, Katsu, Haku, Takara and the baby she had taken in, Hana.

His father was desperately trying to pick himself up from the ground though he was suffering from lethal wounds and had lost a great deal of blood. Kasei looked to his father with his lifeless eyes, not feeling anything, just commanding.

Rin and Shippo tried to take him down but he killed them just as easily, wielding his father's sword, Tokijin. Some villagers came at him and he sliced them with one swift movement of his arm.

_Kill the girl. Kill Kagome. Kill her. Kill her. Kill her. Kill her. Kill her._

Kasei then turned to his mother who stood, staring at him with fear in her brown eyes. She tried to talk him out of his 'haze' or whatever word she used but he only stared at her with lifeless eyes.

Then, he lifted the sword and it began to pulse and he quickly brought it down, perfectly executing his mother, the woman that had cared for him, that loved him, that had shed tears for him when he was hit by the car when he was merely five, that had gone out and bought him a new game for getting straight A's on his report card, the woman that would hold him and kiss him good night every night when he was younger.

Suddenly, whatever spell he was on was lifted and Kasei blinked a little and then the stench of blood reached his nose and a sinking feeling filled him.

Whirling around, he saw everyone he loved and cared for laying in their own blood, dead by his hand. He then looked down at his hand and dropped the bloodied demon sword as if it was burning him. Stepping back, he almost fell over a body.

Regaining his balance, he turned around and his eyes widened and hot tears filled his eyes and spilled over.

Laying there, with a disbelieving look on her face was his mother …

Kasei began shaking and he shook his head a little and he then noticed that it was raining and raining hard and that he was soaked to the bone.

"No … " He whispered, unable to tear his gaze from his mother.

"No! NO! NO! NO!" Emotions overwhelming him, he took off running and didn't even notice the cliff until it was too late. He couldn't stop his fall and he was falling, falling, falling …

Kasei Dream End 

"NO!" Kasei yelled just as lightning streaked through the sky, sending eerie light into his room for merely seconds before plunging him into darkness again.

Instantly sitting up, he looked around the room and slowly began realizing that nothing had happened, that it was all just a horrible, horrible nightmare. Breathing heavily, he brought his legs up to his chest and closed his eyes for a minute.

He felt like he was going to be sick but he fought it back, laying back against the pillows and trying to will his heart to slow down.

A baby's cry from down the hall gave him a strange sense of relief and he got up and walked to his twin sister's room with a frown when the cry increased. Knocking on the door, he slowly opened it and at first couldn't see anything but then lightning lit the room up again and Takara was laying on the floor, blood flowing freely from a gaping wound that looked like claw marks.

He rushed in and knelt down to his sister, rolling her over.

"Takara, wake up. Takara, wake up! MOM! DAD! ANYBODY! HELP ME! **TAKARA!**"

Both Sesshomaru and Kagome ran in and Sesshomaru had to grab Kagome and tell her to go and get the healers to keep her from going absolutely hysterical.

Kagome nodded and ran off while Sesshomaru pushed Kasei away, beginning to check for vitals.

Ai was in the doorway, keeping hold of Haku who was trying to break free and go to his adopted mother while she tried to fight back tears herself as she looked to her friend.

Katsu was standing in the doorway also, shocked to the core with his mouth open and his eyes wide.

Kasei was beginning to feel a little numb. First the nightmare, then this …

He walked over to Hana and picked her up and then noticed the blood on his hand. His face paled and he stumbled backwards, nearly dropping the infant as he stared at his hand.

He knew that he hadn't touched her wound or put his hand in her blood, he knew this for a fact.

But … if he hadn't touched her wound or her blood then … the only logical explanation was … that … his dreams weren't really dreams anymore …

Shoving Hana into Ai's arms, he left the room and was walking at first but then he broke into a run, bursting through the doors and running out into the storm.

Ai blinked a little, confused at Kasei's actions and then she noticed the blood on the baby's blanket and the lightning lit up the room and Kasei's name was written all over the walls in blood …

"Sesshomaru." Ai called softly and Sesshomaru looked at his soon to be daughter in-law and followed her gaze and gaped himself.

Kasei … was responsible for all the deaths …

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Kasei ran and ran and ran until he couldn't run anymore. Tripping over his own feet, he fell harshly into the wet; muddy grass and tears were streaming down his cheeks. Then … the voice was back …

_Kill them._

Kasei's eyes widened a little and he slowly stood. "Who … who are you? What do you want? Leave me alone!"

_I can't, Kasei, for I am one with you. I have merged with your blood. The change in inevitable, Kasei. You will kill everyone you love and care for._

Kasei stumbled back a little, shaking his head. "No! I won't do it! You can't make me! Who are you?"

_Why, I'm you, Kasei._

Kasei growled. "No you're not! Who. Are. You!"

_I am you. I have been ever since the attack. You have some good skills, Kasei._

"No! I won't listen to you! Get out of my body!"

_I can't do that. You're already changing. Lord Sesshomaru and the rest of your pathetic family shall die by YOUR hand, Kasei. YOU shall be the one to kill them, not I. _

Kasei gripped his head, groaning in extreme pain. "NO! I won't let you! I'll kill myself before I let you kill my family!"

_Tsk, tsk. Stupid boy. You WILL do as I say!_

Another wave of nearly unbearable pain gripped Kasei, sending him to his knees. He couldn't let this happen. He couldn't.

Wave after wave of pain ripped through his body and it felt as if someone was burning him from the inside out. Throwing his head up, he screamed in pain and then slumped to the ground.

Ai had set out to find Kasei and bring him back to his senses. Sesshomaru had told her that the demon had probably injected him with a venom that cursed the victim and she had to be extra careful.

"_Remember, Ai, only true love can break the curse."_

Sesshomaru's words rang in her ears as she raced towards where his voice was leading her.

_C'mon, legs, move! Don't fail me now!_

Ai skidded to a stop and she saw Kasei laying face down in the grass. Fearing for the worst, Ai rushed to him and knelt down, shaking him a little.

"Kasei, Kasei wake up." The rain was now pounding on Ai's back but she didn't feel it, nor did she see Kasei's eyes open to only reveal a dull bronze color.

Slowly he moved and relief washed over Ai and she pulled him into a hug. "Kasei, you're okay! I was so worried." She noticed that Kasei was moving but she figured that it was only to hug her back.

The sharp pain in her shoulder came as a surprise and she jumped away and she finally noticed his lifeless look. Fear filled her and she shook her head.

"Kasei, snap out of it! It's me! Ai! You know, your fiancé!" Nothing she said seemed to have a reaction and he only charged at her with incredible speed. Ai dodged it and then had to dodge another attack and then another, this one barely missing her.

She didn't want to have to fight back but what other choice did she have? She whipped out her katana and used to block his attacks and she was slowly moving back towards the castle without knowing it. Whatever she decided to do, she had to do it and fast.

"Kasei! Stop it!" She called out and blocked another attack. She landed a swift punch to his stomach and it made him double over so she body checked him into the ground, landing on top of him and holding his wrists.

"Kasei, please. It's me, Ai. Please, wake up. Fight this. Don't let it win. You're stronger than this, I know you are." Kasei growled loudly and his body began convulsing violently and he gripped the ground, screaming, trying to fight it off.

Inside his body, he could see Ai and hear her, too. He knew he couldn't hurt her, wouldn't be able to live with himself if he hurt her, or anyone but he didn't know how to stop this.

_Run away, Ai! Run and get everyone away from the castle!_

Just as life was about to come back into his golden eyes, the curse took over again and rose his body up and lunged at Ai, wounding her again and following her when she jumped back.

_No! Stop it! KNOCK IT OFF! LEAVE HER ALONE!_

With one final blow, Ai was sent flying backwards and for a few minutes, she didn't move.

Slowly, though, painfully slow, she began lifting herself up. Her arms were shaking and one of her ribs were broken. She coughed and spat out some blood. She wouldn't hurt him, she refused to.

"I won't let you hurt anyone. I refuse to back down." Slowly, she drew herself up to a standing position and she held a bleeding wound that was on her arm.

She almost fell but refused to let her body give up on her so soon. Slowly, she looked into his lifeless eyes and realized what she had been missing all her life.

Kasei. She had been missing Kasei. She … loved him. That's why she refused to fight back! That's what kept pushing her.

"Kasei, I know you can hear me. I believe in you. I know you can fight this, I know you can break this curse. You're strong, Kasei."

Inside his own body, Kasei felt like he was locked in a cage. He pounded against the bars, trying to get out.

_I can't, Ai. I can't do this! It's too strong …I'm too scared and tired …I can't fight this … I'm not strong enough!_

"Don't think that you're not strong enough to fight this, Kasei." She said as she slowly moved to him. Kasei's body jerked back and gave a snarl, flexing his claws and striking at her, sending her flying again.

Ai got up yet again. Slowly, she began moving towards him again.

Kasei fought it hard, he couldn't see himself hurt her again. He couldn't. If he killed her then … what meaning would his life hold?

Then it hit him and hit him hard. He wouldn't be thinking these thoughts if … if he didn't love her.

This new found realization gave him more strength and he slowly fought for control over his body.

"Ai … stay … away from me! I don't … want to … hurt you … again!"

Ai only smiled, moving closer.

"I won't back down, Kasei. Not now, not ever. I can't, I refuse to. There's too much at stake. I can't lose you, I can't lose anyone." By now, she was merely inches from him and moving closer.

Kasei could smell the blood, her blood. He could see her wounds and it made him want to break whatever had this hold on him.

He had to break it.

He just had to.

He loved Ai.

He loved his family.

He couldn't let this win.

He had to fight it.

"I won't let you hurt anyone, Kasei. I won't." She was so close.

Kasei's eyes began flashing and he was growing a little stronger.

"Why?" He asked through clenched teeth.

He saw her smile and he fought harder.

She was fighting for him so he had to fight for her.

He just had to.

Her lips were just a breath away from his and he could smell her blood still.

"Because I love you."

Then, Ai leaned up and pressed her lips against his.

Just when his lips connected with hers, Kasei felt something shatter inside of him and he was in control again. He began kissing her back and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding him to her.

She loved him.

She _loved _him.

She loved _him._

_Him _of all people!

Slowly, after what seemed like forever, they pulled back and the life was back in Kasei's eyes and he looked into Ai's beautiful blue ones.

"I love you, too." He murmured just before losing consciousness.

Ai had to shield her eyes from the bright light and when it disappeared, she looked down to see a tiny puppy. Smiling a little, Ai kneeled down and picked him up, cradling him in her arms.

Slowly standing again, Ai began walking back to the castle.

As she parted from the trees, the clouds began going away and the sun came out and there was a light breeze. The sun shone down on her as she held the puppy that was Kasei in her arms and the breeze blew her hair and clothes to the side.

Sesshomaru had come out when the sun did and when he saw Ai come out of the forest, holding the puppy, he knew that she was of great power, nearly more than him.

Slowly, he lowered himself and then the spectators stood with wide eyes as the great Lord Sesshomaru, taiyoukai and ruler of the Western lands, the first born son of the great InuTashio bowed.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The next day, Ai awoke in the healer's wing and smiled a little as she looked over to Kasei who had turned back into his usual form. He hadn't woken up since yesterday.

Sitting up, she studied him, recalling the discussion her, Sesshomaru and Kagome had gone through yesterday.

**Flashback**

_Sesshomaru, Ai and Kagome all sat in the dining hall, tea and other goodies set out on the table. Ai had gotten cleaned up and Sesshomaru had agreed to let her stay in the healing wing with Kasei._

"_Ai, do you have any questions?" Sesshomaru asked. He knew all now, since Rin and Shippo had returned with Kaede's answer._

_Ai nodded a little. "Yes." She was silent for a little as she sorted them out._

"_What really happened to him?" Sesshomaru sipped his tea._

"_There is a prophecy that includes the first born son of a great demon father but a human mother, so, it includes Kasei since Kagome is his mother."_

_Ai nodded a little, listening._

"_It is said that the boy in question will battle a type of demon that holds the power to inject a certain poison that is a curse and it will slowly take over his body. At first, he will not be aware of his killings or anything of the sort but when he harms someone very close to him, he will know. Takara is his twin sister and, naturally, twins have a much stronger bond than most siblings._

_It is also said that when it rains for four full days without stop, the last day, the fifth day will be the day when he loses all control and is unstoppable unless stopped by the one that holds his love, though they will not realize it until the end that it is the most powerful kind of love there is. You, Ai, were willing to die to stop him and then you realized that if he did not live, neither could you. This also opened up the door for you to realize your true feelings, which would have opened a door for more strength. Not physical strength but, spiritual, emotional and mental strength._

_Though you may not have consciously known what to do, your heart did and, being yourself, you followed your heart. You had faith him and gave him light on the darkest time of his life, hence, you gave him the key to unlocking his own feelings. Once he realized his feelings, he then was nearly able to break the curse. You telling him that you loved him gave him the strength he needed and he then was able to break the curse._

_The prophecy also says that whomever holds his true love is stronger than any demon lord. He is also much, much stronger than he thinks and with your combined powers, you shall both bring peace to this world, fighting side by side in one, final battle."_

_Ai nodded slowly, taking this all in. She sipped her tea and dared not to trust her voice to speak._

"_So, why did he transform into a puppy?" Kagome asked, unknowingly asking the very thing Ai couldn't trust herself to ask._

_Sesshomaru nodded again, sipping his own tea._

"_Because it is his very first form. From when he was in your womb, Kagome, he was a puppy but grew into what he was born into, half demon, and half human. His body was so exhausted as well as his emotional, spiritual and mental state that with the last bit of spiritual energy he could unconsciously summon up, he was then transformed into a puppy, which he was able to gather more energy. Normally, it would have taken a few days to go back to his regular form but since you are a miko, he called upon his human miko blood and was his normal form again. It is astounding that miko and demon blood are living in harmony and since Takara is his twin, I believe that her miko and demon blood are also in perfect harmony."_

**End Flashback**

Ai sighed a little bit, leaning up against the wall and closing her eyes a little, falling asleep for a few minutes before she heard a rustling noise.

She opened her eyes and got ready to fight but she realized the sound was coming from Kasei's bed and she got up, sitting on the chair that was there.

Slowly, Kasei opened his eyes, grimacing a little at the sunlight. Ai's scent instantly caught his nose and he looked up, his heart skipping a beat.

Ai smiled a him and took his hand, placing a kiss on it.

Kasei smiled a little and brought her down for a proper kiss.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

**A/N: Well! I expect to get lots of reviews for this chapter! It is the longest chapter there is, so far! But, it is also an important chapter that had lots of milestones in it!**

**I really don't have any ideas for after this but, the wedding is coming up and Shippo is going to have to find a mate and then leave for his position of Lord of the Eastern Lands!**

**Other than that … I don't know what will be happening or even how long the chapters will be! Anyone have ideas? PLEASE INCLUDE THEM IN YOUR REVIEWS!**

**ESKKTTRAN: Thank you for pointing out my mistake in chapter four –Gives you cookies-**

**Artic Fox Sorario: It all depends on what you would think I would call you crazy for!**

**THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU TO EVERY SINGLE LAST PERSON WHO REVIEWED!**

**I'VE GOT 100 REVIEWS! YEAH!**


	21. Father and Son

**Chapter Twenty One**

**Father and Son**

**Disclaimer: Okay … because I have just finished watching the 3rd InuYasha movie and I literally addicted to InuYasha, I am writing you this chapter at 2am PLUS, I will calmly state that one day I SHALL own InuYasha! He shall be MINE!**

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Kagome sighed a little and patted her growing stomach with a smile. Sesshomaru was still asleep beside her and so he should be, she mused with a suppressed giggle. Things had been so hectic lately, with the wedding coming up and all.

Kagome smiled brightly, thinking of Ai and Kasei together. They were so perfect for each other and they spent nearly every waking moment with each other as well. Takara had recovered from the attack that Kasei did on her. Kagome's smile vanished at the thought and she looked out at the rising sun. It was such a beautiful sight and their room was in such a way that she could both see the sunset and the sunrise.

But, for once, her chocolate brown eyes didn't see the beauty laid out before her. Kasei had been put under a curse by saving Haku from that terrible demon and had slain many people, including some of the staff and had managed to badly wound Takara …

She could tell, it was her duty as his mother, he was still plagued by guilt at harming innocent people but what could he possibly have done? He didn't even know that he was under a curse until he saw Takara's blood on his hands …

And, how had Ai managed to break it? Kagome sighed again. All these questions were beginning to confuse her! Then … her thoughts wandered to Sesshomaru and Tensaiga. InuYasha had Tetsaiga and together, Sesshomaru and InuYasha had banished the sword that had the power of the Dragon Twister. Tensaiga, of Heaven, Tetsaiga, of Earth and … the other one she didn't dare recall the name. She knew of their power and she remembered on that fateful day when InuYasha had seen his father for the first time …

With another sigh, she rolled over onto her stomach, resting her head on her pillow, frowning.

_What if … now, this is big what if, Tensaiga can be used to bring their father back? And their mothers? Oh, why did I have to start thinking on this? Bad, Kagome, bad! Oh well …I wonder though …Kasei is supposed to be so much stronger than Sesshomaru and InuYasha and Sesshomaru said that even though he has my blood in him …he could still wield Tokijin, Tensaiga and Tetsaiga. _

Kagome sighed a little in exasperation, rolling over onto her back and covering her eyes with her arm.

_But, what if? I mean …stranger things have happened …maybe it would do them good to have their father back … he shouldn't have died the way he did and InuYasha could do with knowing him a little more. Wait, why am I even thinking about InuYasha? I haven't seen him for years …probably because he's off being a stubborn jerk again! But what of him and Yuri? Had they had children yet? Oh, who knows with him though it would be quite a sight to see InuYasha chasing around a couple of toddlers …_

Kagome let out a giggle but quieted herself, looking to her mate who just shifted a little but slept on. She let out a relieved breath. She wasn't going to tell him quite yet though she was sure that this time, he was not going to let her out of his sight. Even though the thought made her smile, it also made her frown a little. She knew now that if she was ever to go back to her time, he was going with her so they wouldn't have to spend it alone …

That would be quite a change for him, she mused. Getting used to everything like InuYasha had … though Sesshomaru is much more proper than his brother … She looked over at him with a smile. She knew every single inch of the demon lord, body and soul. Her eyes rested on the enchanted beads of his subduing necklace and she smiled. She hardly ever had to use it on him, again with the he's-so-much-more-refined-than-InuYasha statement.

_Don't get me wrong, though. I love InuYasha for the brother that he is to me but hello! Manners much? I mean all those times that I sat him throughout the years that we traveled together could have been avoided if he'd just shown a little respect! Come to think of it …he was a little better the last time I saw him …I didn't have to sit him at all but … then again … now that he's got Yuri as a mate, would she be able to use it as well as me or would it just be her? I wonder …_

_I also wonder how much alike InuYasha and his father are! I mean …I would really like to get to know him and maybe even my dear Sessho can be on better terms with him … now that he's changed so much …_

Just as Kagome was about to roll over and go to sleep, Tensaiga, which had been propped up in a corner, pulsed. Kagome blinked and sat up, looking at the sword.

_D-did Tensaiga just pulse? _She looked at the sword again, shaking her head and smiling. _Nah! Of course not! Why would it? Kagome, you must need more sleep!_

Just as she decided that she must, indeed, need more sleep for she was beginning to hallucinate, the sword pulsed again and this time, she was positive! Being curious and a little freaked out, she put on her robe and walked over to it. Crouching down, she studied it with a frown.

_Maybe it was just a fluke or something? I mean …the sword must be pretty old …maybe it's like, aging or something? Wait, can swords age? I know they can rust … well …regular ones, anyways. I'm not sure about the kind of special ones …_

After further inspection of the sword, she decided that it must be aging! It was the only semi-reasonable reason that she could come up with! With a sigh, she crawled back into the warm bed and closed her eyes before it pulsed one … two … three times!

_I can't take this anymore! It's freaking me out!_

Getting up, she put on her robe again and picked it up, giving it a glare, not even noticing that Sesshomaru was sitting in the bed with a what-the-heck-are-you-doing expression plastered on his face. Kagome blinked and looked over to him, giving a little 'eep!' and hiding the sword behind her back, smiling at him.

"Morning!" Sesshomaru arched a silver brow at her and smirked a little, chuckling and putting his elbows on his knee and his chin in hand.

"Kagome, what are you doing with my sword of all things?" Kagome blushed a little, taking it from behind her back and looking down at it.

"Well … I was thinking this morning and then … all of a sudden, it started pulsing and at first, I just thought that I was like dreaming or something so I just dismissed it but then it pulsed three times in a row! So I got up and started looking at it … though I really have no idea what I was looking for …" She gave a sigh, feeling a little stupid.

Sesshomaru frowned a little and got dressed, thinking over this. Kagome followed his example and got dressed herself and it pulsed again, making her jump. Sesshomaru turned to it and picked it up. This was truly strange behavior.

Then, it shot out of his hands and the door of their room opened and it flew out of the castle.

Without even thinking, Sesshomaru opened the window and summoned his youkai cloud and began following it, leaving a very clueless Kagome to blink after him.

"Well, if he thinks I'm just going to sit here he's got another thing coming!" She said with a stomp of her foot. Running out of the castle, she quickly summoned Ah-Un the way Sesshomaru had taught her.

The two headed dragon came up to her happily and she quickly mounted it.

"Do you think you can pick up Sesshomaru's scent and follow him?" The beast nodded and rose into the air, streaking after its lord.

Shippo and Rin were outside and saw the two leave and blinked a little, turning to each other.

"Now what could that be about?" Rin asked and Shippo shrugged.

"I beats me but I hope breakfast is soon. I'm starved!"

Not only did those two notice but a certain silver haired hanyou noticed as well and saw Tensaiga whiz past him along with Sesshomaru and then Kagome in hot pursuit. Frowning, InuYasha began running after them, his curiosity seriously spiked.

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Tensaiga finally stopped and it was actually near the Bone Eater's Well. Then it plunged itself into the Earth and pulsed more, stronger this time, sending waves and waves of … whatever was coming from the sword!

One thing was for sure; it was bringing back every dead shrub to ten foot tall tree to the living. It was also upping the growth of the forest and flowers began popping up everywhere. InuYasha blinked a little, looking around as he was running.

_What the hell is going on here? Why is everything just coming back to life all of a sudden? Why was Sesshomaru chasing his sword in the first place and why the hell was Kagome following him?_

Then it hit him … Kagome was back … the well was unsealed …

_Wait … she's back and has obviously been back for a while … and she doesn't even bother to even come and say hi? God! I think she's the one with the attitude problem!_ He looked up to see Sesshomaru following the sword still.

_Why has Tensaiga stopped? Why has it lead me here? Why is it pulsing? Why is it bringing everything back from the dead?_

He landed when a bright light surrounded the sword and had to shield his eyes a little, not even noticing that InuYasha had come and stopped, doing the same thing.

Kagome landed Ah-Un and quickly took her place at Sesshomaru's side, needing her bury her face in his kimono to avoid the light. The next thing she knew, she heard two voices utter a single word:

"Father."

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Kagome blinked. Wait! Father? Like … their dad? Like … their very DEAD dad?

The light had gone and she slowly looked over a man wearing similar armor and similar kimono to Sesshomaru's. He had pointy ears … golden eyes … more gray than silver hair and it done in a ponytail …

_Oh man. This must be the weirdest dream of my life! Ah! What's he doing? Why is he coming over here? Is … is he looking at me? He is! He's looking right AT me! Oh no … what's he doing now? Why is he coming over here? _

Sesshomaru couldn't even move as he just watched his father walk over to him and … Kagome? Kagome was here? What the hell was she doing here? She could have been hurt! He didn't have time to question her because he instantly smelt her increasing fear. This must be a trick of some kind … his father has been dead for years …

Smelling Kagome's instant spike of fear as he got closer and slowly reached out a hand, Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes, stepping between the two, hearing her quiet gasp and some of her fear turn to worry, worry for him.

The older demon stopped and slowly, he smiled a little, looking at his son and looking him over.

"Well, Sesshomaru, I see you have finally found someone to protect and to love." He spotted Kagome's mating mark and his smile increased.

"Yes, to love and have love returned to you." Sesshomaru never moved from his position even as he felt Kagome peak at the other demon from behind him.

"What do you want … father." Came his voice and it was slightly cold.

"I have some unfinished business here." Then he recognized Kagome and his gaze fell upon her again.

"You're that girl that was with InuYasha. Sesshomaru, you stole your brother's woman?" Kagome sighed a little, annoyance clear on her face as she stepped around her mate and stood, glaring at him.

"With all due respect and everything, I never WAS his woman." She snapped and then he laughed. Kagome couldn't believe her ears. He was laughing … wait … what WAS he laughing at?

"Oi! Old man! Are you implying that I can't get a woman?" InuYasha demanded hotly from his position. Kagome rolled her eyes a little. Well, that was one question answered; he was still the same old InuYasha that he'd always been.

The demon in question blinked and turned to InuYasha. His son was still alive. His InuYasha.

"InuYasha, I have not seen you since you were an infant, if you exclude that one time." InuYasha rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Quit your yapping already and tell us why the hell you're here!" Kagome sighed again.

"Sit boy." Thump! He was sent into the ground, face first, earning a very confused look on the other demon's face before he burst out laughing.

Kagome blinked at him. _Well, at least this rules out where Sesshomaru got his coldness …_

"Sesshomaru, you have outdone yourself." Sesshomaru still hadn't moved.

"For once, I must agree with InuYasha. Why are you here, father?" The other demon nodded a little.

"I have come on some business that deals with your son, Kasei." Kagome glared at him a little.

"No!" All three pairs of eyes turned to her.

"You haven't even heard what it's about." The demon told her.

"I don't care. Whatever it is isn't going to happen." Sesshomaru blinked a little and slowly rose a hand, resting it on Kagome's shoulder and she turned to him.

"He's been through too much. He's still a baby for heaven's sake!" This caused the current demon lord to sigh.

"Kagome, he's not a baby anymore, you know that." Kagome crossed her arms and frowned.

"To me, he is."

"Of course he is, you're his mother." Sesshomaru said softly. "But he is a man now and you know that, too." Kagome huffed a little, sulking. She didn't want to put her precious Kasei through any more hardships …

Then she heard a light clanking noise and turned to see their father hold out Tetsaiga.

"I believe this is yours." Sesshomaru nodded a little, taking it from him and putting it in its usual place.

"Kagome, this is the once great ruler of the Western Lands, Lord InuTashio or Father. Father, this is Kagome. She is my mate." The old demon nodded a little, holding out a hand.

Kagome looked at the hand and then looked to him, frowning a little. Slowly, she put her hand in his and found his grip to be gentle, warm and friendly and she was certainly taken by surprise when he put his lips to her hand!

Blushing madly, she pulled it away, giving a smile. "Uh … nice to meet you … again … I mean … finally … I mean, … " He just laughed.

"Don't worry, my dear. I know what you mean." Kagome gave him another smile. Good, that meant she didn't have to embarrass herself further!

By now, the sit command had worn off of InuYasha and he had come over to them and was sizing up his father. Kagome sighed silently. Of course, only InuYasha would turn something like this into a contest of pride and power.

InuTashio was also standing and sizing up his son, more curiously than InuYasha though. Well, at least she had been right in her previous assumptions about InuYasha being like his father. Slowly, she cleared her throat.

"I hate to interrupt this … family reunion … but breakfast should be ready and, I'm kind of really hungry." _And I'm eating for two, you know._

Sesshomaru nodded a little. "Yes, let us take our leave, Kagome." She blinked a little.

"What InuYasha and your father?" Sesshomaru looked at her and then just kept walking, unknowingly to him that his mate was suffering from mood swings already.

"Sesshomaru." He stopped. She hardly ever used that tone but he knew what it meant.

"Fine. They can come. I hope your table manners have improved since I last saw you, little brother."

"Hey! Shut up, Sesshomaru!" Kagome sighed a little and then the bickering started. Well … more like Sesshomaru was being his old self and casually annoying the hell out of InuYasha which caused him to yell and scream like an idiot and possibly even try to make it physical.

She had dropped back and they stopped so she decided to keep her distance. She watched them from knowing eyes.

Sesshomaru insults InuYasha about something or other, InuYasha yells at him and tells him to, yet again, shut up which makes Sesshomaru only want to antagonize him more.

"Do they always act like this?" A voice said from beside her. Kagome blinked and looked up at him and nodded a little.

"It's their usual annoying routine. If InuYasha would just take a few lessons on self control, this wouldn't be a regular occurrence." The demon nodded a little.

"Is there a way to stop them? It's sort of giving me a headache. Plus, it's not exactly something I want to see right away after coming back. If only they had grown up together …" Kagome nodded in agreement and then heard her name.

Blinking, she felt something on her cheek and she smacked it quickly, looking at her hand.

"Myoga? What are you doing here?" The flea demon puffed himself out quickly.

"Kagome! It's good to see that you're back! I saw Tensaiga's strange behavior and I thought I'd come and see what it was all about and … " Myoga trailed off and looked at the demon that was standing beside Kagome.

"MASTER INUTASHIO!" He cried out, leaping from Kagome's hand to his nose. Kagome blinked a little; a bit confused as to what was going on and Sesshomaru and InuYasha's fighting wasn't helping matters. She tried to block them out and concentrated on Myoga.

"Myoga, you know him?" Myoga turned and look at her.

"Know him? Of course I know him!" The old demon laughed.

"Myoga! It's nice to see you again, old friend! How do you know my daughter in-law?" Kagome gave a nervous laugh.

"Long story, I assure you." Myoga answered. "Master, forgive me, but why do you reside in this world again?" The demon lord gave a sigh, rubbing his temples a little.

"I would love to answer your question, Myoga but my stomach is rumbling and those two are giving me a headache." Kagome nodded a little and smiled at them.

"I'm sure Lady Kagome can do something about your sons, master." Kagome laughed a little and nodded.

"You bet." The demon blinked at her a little, honest to goodness confused and even a little interested. Myoga filled him in,

"Lady Kagome is a powerful priestess, hence, both InuYasha and Sesshomaru having subduing necklaces on them."

"It certainly keeps them in line!" Kagome added cheerfully and smiled again. "Just watch." Then, she turned to her mate and brother and sighed a little.

"Can't you guys just get over this without me having to step in?" InuYasha growled.

"Why? I'm not about to let this bastard best me!" Kagome sighed a little, shaking her head.

"Have it your way." She said with a sigh and Myoga could be heard telling the older demon to watch.

"Sit down!" Two thumps! Both brothers were sent face down into the ground. Kagome smiled and turned to Myoga and InuTashio.

"Well, I'll be! Kagome, remind me never to get on your bad side." The older demon said with a chuckle, looking at his sons.

"Feh! It's not like that's hard to do!" InuYasha growled, getting up. Kagome crossed her arms, slightly insulted.

"Sit boy." Thump! InuYasha growled again, getting up but slower this time.

"What the hell is your problem, wench!" Kagome turned to him, glaring at him.

"What's my problem? What's your problem!" She shouted back.

"My problem is you and this stupid necklace! You're acting like Sesshomaru got you knocked up again!" Everyone except InuYasha noticed her pause and blush before she quickly hid it and countered.

"Well maybe if you tried to be a little more like your brother then I wouldn't have to use it so much!" InuYasha growled at her and turned around, crossing his arms.

"Feh! Once a stupid wench, always a stupid wench!" Kagome was now almost shaking with rage but InuYasha didn't even notice.

"At least you NOT carrying is a benefit to you. You won't swell up like a blimp!" Myoga sweatdropped.

"Uh … Master InuYasha … do you think you should be saying those things about Lady Kagome?" InuYasha gave another 'feh'.

"Shut up, Myoga! You're almost as bad as her and she's a woman!" _THAT'S IT!_

"SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! **SIT!**" The three demons looked on. Myoga sighed a little, shaking his head, muttering things like,

"I warned him." InuTashio was blinking and slowly inching back from the infuriated woman.

Sesshomaru was never one to fear anything or anyone but, a furious Kagome was one thing that sent chills up his spine.

"InuYasha, you're such a JERK!" With that, Kagome stalked off and Ah-Un followed her. After walking for a bit, she climbed on and flew away, still muttering things about InuYasha was so stupid and insensitive.

When the spell finally wore off and InuYasha had managed to dig himself out of his crater, Sesshomaru only sighed, shaking his head a little.

"Shall we go then? It would probably be wise for you to keep your distance from the castle, InuYasha." InuYasha grumbled a little, walking back through the forest.

InuTashio was following the woman who had just sent both his sons face first into the ground and then created a crater in the form of his youngest son. Even before he died, he'd never been able to do that. He shifted his gaze to Sesshomaru who was walking beside Kagome and the two-headed dragon.

The boy certainly had his work cut out for him if she was anything like the infuriated the woman that he had just seen, he concluded.

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**A/N: Okay … I am going to start this off by apologizing for my slow update. I don't know what it is but the reviews have been minimal and it's making me unhappy which affects my ability to create new chapters and such. ANYWAYS, I need more reviews! –Stomps foot- **

**Now that that's over with … um … right … I just totally forgot what I was going to say … heh … Oh! Right! Haha! No one died or got injured in this chapter! Yay! –Grins- **

**Review Replies:**

**ESKKTTRAN: To be perfectly honest … I have no idea why the demons were attacking Haku and why he has the jewel in the first place –sweatdrops- I was originally just going to make him Miroku's son with the wind tunnel curse but … yeah … I just kind of went with the flow … heh …**

**As for the jewel being broken … I honestly don't remember if I broke it in this story or not … I know it's broken in the other one … as for his family having the jewel in the first place … that's still a mystery to me, too xD **

**BUT! I promise you … it will ALL be explained in the next chapter, since it is pretty much all about Haku … I love that little guy!**

**hakomakura: By now, I think that Kagome's mom and her grandfather know about the kids, lol! I know they're cute … just wait till you see their new addition –winks- I was originally going to make it harder for Kagome but then I came up with the car crash idea and I was like, "Nah, she's going to have enough hardships!" Also … I have no idea why no one said anything about the kid's ears … -shrugs- oh well … I also especially thought I was quite brilliant myself for making Sesshy kiss Kagome just to piss Inu off … hehe! **

**And yeah … I guess the last part of chapter 16 reminds me a little bit of the Lion King … not really though … I agree with you on the 'learn to play safe' thing, lol! No one died or got hurt in this chapter though … well … excluding InuYasha but he more than deserved all those sits. I especially enjoy making Kagome do her version of "sit" on Sesshy … hehe!**

**A Big Thank You To:**

**InuLover53**

**professionaldooropener**

**k4g0me**

**ESKKTTRAN**

**I really hope that I get even more reviews now … I'm also sorry for taking so long to reply to my reviews and for taking so long to finish this chapter and update!**


	22. The Past The Present and the Truth

**Chapter Twenty Two**

**The Past, The Present and The Truth**

**Disclaimer: You so don't want to make me mad right now –glares at the lawyers- because then I'll have to hurt you and hurt you badly. I am having a very difficult time with my Internet connection and it's really not making me in a very pleasant mood. To make everything all better … I STILL don't own InuYasha. GET. OVER. IT!**

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InuTashio woke up, feeling quite rested to tell the truth. He looked about the spare room that he was in and smiled a little. His son had done something that his father hadn't had the courage to do: have his human mate live with him at the castle. Not only that but he actually had all his children living under one roof, including the unborn child that Kagome was carrying. He silently wondered if Sesshomaru could smell and recognize the scent of her carrying the pup. With a shrug, he lifted his large frame from the bed and strode out of the room and down the hall, catching sight of a human boy playing with a small two-tailed cat.

What was his name again? Oh yes, Haku, after the mountain that had supposedly collapsed during his time in the underworld. He didn't smell any blood relation to the boy so why was he here, it was certainly strange but, then again, he knew of another human, a girl this time by the name of Rin and a fox kit by the name of Shippo, both of whom resided within the castle walls.

He caught the feel of something vaguely familiar and he walked over to the boy, crouching down by him. The boy looked up at him and gave him a smile.

"Hello." InuTashio couldn't help but allow himself to smile back at the boy.

"Hello there, child. Might I ask what you're doing?" Haku turned back to the cat that was dark black with yellow streaks on its tail and surrounding its paws.

"Playing." He replied simply. InuTashio nodded a little.

"You seem to attract a lot of attention." Haku looked up at him, a slightly confused look on his face.

"I suppose so …"

"Mind telling me why?" Haku looked around and then decided he could be trusted and he pulled a small pink jewel from it's protection and InuTashio had to work hard to refrain from showing shock. The Shikon no Tama … he had heard faint rumors of it before his demise and had heard it to be a powerful jewel, sought out by many with good and bad intentions and only the strongest and pure of the strong and pure were able to handle it's awesome power and keep it pure and from falling into the wrong hands.

"Where did you get it?" He asked slowly. Just when he was about to get an answer from the boy, Takara stepped into the hallway and called him to her.

The boy instantly went to her side, the two-tailed following happily. He watched as she placed a caring hand on his head, directing him to the dining hall for the morning meal. He also noticed the long, studying look she gave him.

She was Katsu's sister, he recalled and studied her in return, straightening his legs. She seemed much different from her brother, though they were twins and he sensed an amazing amount of love and power emitting from the girl in question. So much that it made him want to step forward and begin his interrogation of her though he refrained himself, remembering his son's words.

"_I realize you have been gone for many years, father but I wish that you refrain from interrogating my children and my grandchild. I will tell you everything you need and want to know in due time."_

InuTashio nodded a little and settled just for studying the pair. The boy was obviously not her birth child, for he had no demon traces and clearly smelt human and the same went for the infant in her arm. She seemed to be giving him a silent warning and he only smiled at her, silently chuckling, feeling amusement bubbling up in him. Though they were not her birth children, she had taken them in regardless and cared for them as her own. His eyes shifted as another hanyou came up, his hair and dog-ears looking exactly like Sesshomaru's and his eyes golden, his little fangs slightly overgrown but it didn't seem to bother him much.

He watched as the girl's attention was taken away from him and put on the two boys and he was surprised to see a soft and caring smile reach her lips. It reminded him much of his son's rare smiles that he would give to things when he was much younger. He then watched the two boys race off, surprisingly matched in speed and the girl slowly walk after them but not before he caught the girl's warning look which made him chuckle again. Any kind of mother was certainly a force to be reckoned with.

Making his way to the dining hall, he watched as many different things scurried around and a familiar scent wafted to his nose and he stepped up to see a certain hanyou with silver hair and ears, wearing a red fire rat hiori. This time, a woman was with him and he hand an infant in his arms and he was feeling in the child's mouth and he gave a little nod. He said something to the woman that he couldn't pick up through the shrill cries and happy laughter that he had never heard so much in his entire time of living in this very castle.

A soft mewing sound caught his hearing, though and he looked to see the exact opposite image of the two-tailed he'd seen with the boy just minutes before. This was also perched on a human shoulder of a woman who wore a pink and green kimono and held her hair with a white ribbon. By the looks of her, she was probably a demon slayer, he thought and his eyes shifted over the figure that was standing beside her, seeming to be holding a sleeping child. His hair was short and tied into a tiny ponytail behind his head and he wore black and purple ceremonial monk robes, he was also human but there was a certain power emitting from the couple and he smiled a little.

Kagome's voice brought him out of his thoughts and he brought his golden eyes to look at her beautiful, smiling face. She reminded him much of his wives and though she was human, she seemed to also represent both human and demon worlds and both her and his son, correction, both her and his **sons** were making a much more peaceful world for hanyous. He recognized that his youngest son's mate was full youkai. The thought made him laugh a little. How ironic! His eldest son who, for years, sought after nothing but ultimate power, had mated to a human woman. She was strong, there was no doubt about that but she was human and for years the very youkai that stood next to her that despised humans for a good portion of his young life was now mated to one and had a few hanyou children. And, his youngest son, whom he knew nearly nothing about, who was sure to be jealous of his older brother was mated to a full youkai.

"Are you just going to stand there all day and think or are you going to eat with us?" Kagome asked in her usual cheerful voice. InuTashio looked at them and smiled, taking a seat.

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About mid afternoon, Haku was sitting outside with his new adopted mother and sister, just enjoying the sunshine and how combined with the rain, made the grass lush, soft and very green.

"Haku." Takara began softly, watching as the boy turned his attention to her.

"Yeah?"

"How much do you know about the Shikon jewel?" Haku blinked, confused by her sudden interest.

"Not much. Only that after everyone in the village died, I was the only one left to take care of it and that it's my job to make sure it doesn't get into the wrong hands." Takara nodded a little.

"Do you know how your village came to possess it?" Haku thought for a minute.

"Well, my father said that long ago, there was a demon named Naraku and he was after the jewel but a strong priestess and her friends defeated him and she entrusted the jewel to another named Kaede." Takara though for a moment, she knew what he was talking about so far but the question was, why didn't her mother have it now and why did she give it to someone else?

"Did he say why she did this?" Haku thought again.

"I think he said that she gave it away because it really belonged to the village and not her." Takara nodded a little.

"Do you want to see it?" He asked innocently, causing her to give him a curious look.

"The jewel. Do you want to see it?" He held it out in his palms with a smile and she slowly took it, holding it in her own palm, watching as it caught the suns rays and it sparkled beautifully. It was hard to imagine that something so small would have been the cause for such pain and suffering …

"Haku, if your father said that the holder of the jewel gave it to another priestess, how did it come to your village?" Haku smiled at her.

"Oh, that's easy! A real nice priestess offered to take the jewel from the village, to … lighten its burdens, I think she said. Anyway, the village gave her the jewel and then she came and lived at our village and we helped her protect the jewel. She was really nice and she kind of looked like grandma but not really." Takara looked at him, frowning lightly.

"Do you remember her name?" He nodded.

"It was Kikyo … or something like that. Pretty, too."

A little ways away, InuYasha's ears twitched when they picked up Kikyo's name and he turned his attention to the small group that sat by the stream. Even though he wasn't in love with her anymore, he occasionally wondered what it would be like if Naraku hadn't come and deceived them.

Kagome noticed this and walked over. "InuYasha?"

Her soft tone made him jump and glared at her, growling a little.

"Damn it, Kagome! Don't sneak up on people like that!" Kagome's answer was to just roll her eyes.

"Well, forget that I was going to ask if you were alright." She snapped. InuYasha winced at her harsh tone and sighed a little.

"I think they're talking about Kikyo." Kagome was more than just a little shocked to hear that name after all these years …

"You heard them?" InuYasha nodded a little.

"I think they're talking about the jewel, too." Kagome nodded this time and gave a little sigh.

"The kid has it." InuYasha said, growling and stalking over to them, picking Haku up by the back of his kimono shirt.

"Hand over the sacred jewel, kid!" Before Kagome could even react, Takara had him pinned underneath her, her claws glowing a deadly green as she held them to his neck, snarling viciously.

"One more move and I'll kill you. Right here, right now." InuYasha remained perfectly still, having no doubt in his mind that the daughter of his brother wouldn't give it a second's hesitation.

Everyone that watched this held their breath and relief washed over the spectators as the green vanished and she stood up, keeping Haku who was holding the infant behind her with a hand resting on his head. That's when he heard Kagome's deadly tone and he paled, knowing what was coming.

"InuYasha! Sit boy!" With an impressive thump, he landed face down in the dirt and Takara glared at him before a small voice reached her ears.

"Mother? Are you hurt?" Haku asked quietly and Takara looked over her shoulder and gave him a smile.

"I'm fine, Haku. What about you?" The boy shook his head.

"I'm fine, too."

"Good. Now, InuYasha, is it?" InuYasha slowly got up.

"Depends on who's asking." Takara narrowed her eyes at him, a move that he had seen so many times before.

"What do you want with the shikon jewel?" InuYasha dusted himself off before crossing his arms and turning his back on her.

"What's it to you?" Takara glared at him, a growl working up in her throat. To her complete surprise, InuTashio stepped up and knelt down to the boy.

"Haku, are you aware that this jewel brings a great deal of danger to it's keeper?" The boy nodded a little.

"I'm not afraid." He said, puffing his chest out proudly. The demon nodded with a smile.

"But, there are people that are afraid for you." This threw the boy off a little and he had to think for a minute before he nodded.

"I don't want them to worry." He looked up to Takara who smiled and picked him up and gave him a little hug, feeling his little arms go around her neck to return it.

"Would you like a priestess to hang onto it for you?" A voice asked. Everyone turned and was surprised to see Sesshomaru asking the question. Haku was a little unsure at first but he pursed his lips and thought. It would be a good idea if a priestess hung onto the jewel because she had purifying and spiritual powers and most were very strong also he didn't think that his father would mind.

Slowly he nodded a little bit and Sesshomaru walked over and Haku put the jewel in the demon lords palm and he shocked everyone again by reaching over and giving Haku's hair a playful ruffle, making him giggle.

InuYasha stood with his jaw dropped and Yuri rolled her eyes a little, nudging him lightly before reaching over and closing his mouth for him. Anyone who was watching the scene laughed a little though InuYasha never even noticed it, especially when he walked over to Kagome.

Taking his mate's hand, Sesshomaru gently pressed the jewel into her palm and gave her a smile. "I know you'll take care of it." Kagome looked at it for a minute and nodded, before finding a pretty necklace and attaching it to the necklace.

She went over to Haku and gave him a smile. "Your parents would be very proud of you, Haku." The boy smiled a little, knowing that she was right. Not only was she a priestess but she was pretty, too! That's what he always thought, anyways.

"YOU'RE GIVING THE JEWEL TO HER! SHE **BROKE** IT LAST TIME SHE HAD IT!" InuYasha very loudly stated. InuTashio was standing next to him and he winced lightly and glared at the boy, whacking him over the head lightly.

Before a fight could break out, Kagome interrupted quickly with a smile. "So, who's up for lunch?" InuTashio got her hint and gave her a heart-warming smile.

"That sounds like a fine idea to me, dear."

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**A/N: I don't know what it is with me and updating so far but it just hasn't been working. Anyways, I'm really sorry that I haven't updated but I've really been trying hard to get a job and my mom is getting married this Saturday so we've been having practices and stuff and then I had a minor freak out with a really good friend of mine but, I am back and I am updating xD **

**Replies:**

**ESKKTTRAN: No, he didn't come back because of Kagome and yeah, he actually did come back because of Kasei. Sorry that this chapter didn't focus much on him but … you did get answers about how Haku's family and village came across the Shikon no Tama! He will be around for the wedding –wink wink-**

**And when InuTashio says "The boy certainly had his work cut out for him if she was anything like the infuriated the woman that he had just seen"** **he's talking about Sesshomaru and Kagome. He was pretty much saying that if Kagome normally acted the way she does when she's super mad then Sesshomaru had his hands full. I hope that clears things up for you –smile-**

**MysticTenshi: Well, I am glad you're back now –smile- I also don't get weirded out very easily.**

**k4g0me: I'm excited to get the 4th movie, too! I don't like Sounga! And, we own all three movies so yay! Lol.**

**Thank You To:**

**InuLover53**

**Kagome Assassinator**

**teiboi**

**Thanks everyone! I may be making a new fanfics but, it'll be focused on when Sesshomaru and InuYasha are kids and what it would be like if they grew up together.**


	23. Author's Note IDEAS!

**Author's Note:**

All right … I am super glad that everyone loves my story and such but I have got a problem …

Writer's Block 

It sucks so badly, it's not even funny. The story IS STILL going on and I've got nearly half of the next chapter typed up but I am having a serious problem so any ideas/suggestions would be EXTREMELY helpful and I would be VERY thankful to anyone and everyone who helps me out. After all, you guys get a chapter sooner and if I get enough ideas then I might be inspired enough to write two or three chapters and update them all.

Anywho … I would really appreciate any help that I can get and I'm SO sorry that I haven't updated in such a long time –cries-

If you do have ideas, PLEASE PM me with them and I will defiantly mention you in the next chapter(s)!


	24. The New Addition

**Chapter Twenty Three**

**The New Addition**

**Disclaimer: Go whine at someone else already! I already KNOW I don't know InuYasha and Co. Idiots, all of you!**

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InuTashio sighed a little bit as he looked out the window. It had been raining for days and there was something stirring in his gut that was unsettling him. Shaking his head a little, he looked from the window and started down the hallway where he suddenly came across an extremely flustered and obviously shocked female wolf demon.

What was her name again? Oh, right, of course! How could he forget! She was only the girl who married his first grandson.

"Is there something wrong, dear?" She jumped a little and gave a sigh of relief and smiled at him.

"Oh, no sir." InuTashio smiled a little.

"You can call me grandfather, you know." Ai smiled and nodded a little.

"Alright but, no, I am just fine, grandfather." InuTashio nodded a little to her and smiled before continuing his walk.

Ai sighed a little bit and softly laid a hand on her abdomen, looking down at the floor. No one could know yet.

InuTashio could easily sense her unease but decided just to ignore it for the time being. Stretching, he walked out into the rain, being so lost in thought that he didn't notice that he was being followed.

He just kept walking and walking, thinking about why he was brought back and a few other things before an arrow nearly took his head off. With a startled yelp, he fell over, landing on his butt on the wet ground, still confused on what just happened when a beautiful woman stepped out.

"Die, demon!" InuTashio blinked again.

"Say what?"

"Die!" She walked up to him and was about to slice him in two before Haku came skidding to a halt between them, his arms spread and his eyes begging her to stop.

InuTashio blinked a little and stood up, causing the woman to come to halt.

Demon and human eyed one another for a while.

"What's your business with this human child?" She snapped. InuTashio growled a little and crossed his arms.

"He is family."

"How could a human be part of a demon's family?" She snapped again. She was absolutely gorgeous, InuTashio noted. Dark black hair and bright blue eyes that was surprising in women these days. She was short for her age but she had a tough air about her, indicating that she was no push over.

"Not all demons are ruthless killers." He stated, turning away and beginning to walk back. This surprised her and her guard went down for a minute but was quickly brought back up.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going!" She demanded, running after him. InuTashio chuckled a little bit; his fondness for humans still hadn't diminished.

"Home." He said simply, not slowing down or even stopping though he looked at her over his shoulder.

Haku bowed a little. "Arigato." He told her right before running off and catching up with InuTashio.

Hope blinked a little bit, just standing in the rain and watching the two walk off.

What had just happened here? Why didn't she kill him when she had the chance and take the boy? He was a demon … a murderer just like all the others.

Or was he?

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Ai had to make a trip back to her clan's den despite the ran and she didn't even notice that she was being followed, lost deep in her own thoughts of the little thing that was growing inside of her … a true sign of hers and Kasei's love for one another.

There was a problem with this, though, they were not yet married, but they were going to be married in just a few short weeks. In a few short weeks, she would start showing …

Ai smiled a little bit, recalling the first time they had met especially since she had been extremely attracted to him, seeing him just stepping out of the bathing room with only a towel hung loosely on his hips and the hot water leaving his skin warm and some water droplets gently running down his firm chest …

She shook her head violently, blushing madly as she looked to the ground beneath her feet, concentrating on walking for a little as her body calmed itself. When she felt more in control, she gave a sigh, a smile working it's way on her lips.

No matter what, she wouldn't feel bad about this. Not now, not ever.

A snapping of a twig brought her out of her thoughts and she clutched the handle of the umbrella tighter as she looked around, desperately searching for the source of the noise. When she found none, she sighed a little, convincing herself that it must have been some small demon or something that was of no threat to her.

Looking up, she smiled to see that she had nearly reached the half way point between her father's home and her current home with Kasei and the others. In her excitement, she scurried a little faster, losing contact with her surroundings and giving the perfect opportunity for someone to strike.

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A smirk came to his face as he watched the young female wolf youkai scurry up the pathway and he moved slightly, bringing himself out of the bushes and in her path. He watched her stop and smelt her fear. He watched her take a step back and felt her defenses come up. He heard her excuse herself and ask for his name but he did not reply. Instead, he walked up to her, his long black hair soaked with the rain as it ran down his face in little droplets. A small grin was on his face, his fangs showing slightly as he moved closer to her and finally spoke.

"My name is of no importance. You, however, are of great value. I understand that you are with child and marrying a hanyou son of the great demon Sesshomaru." He spoke slow and his voice dangerous. He was enjoying her fear and reaction very much. Sickeningly much. It excited him in ways that it shouldn't. It made him want her in ways that one could only imagine. Dangerous thoughts ran through his dangerous mind and all involved him taking what he wanted from her and the family she was going to marry into and then ending her life once he had gotten what he had wanted. All involved him being victorious over that so-called Lord Sesshomaru.

All involving tasting her sweet and metallic blood, feeling it run down his throat, feeling it run over his hands and cover them and then feeling it over his lips and then his fangs, bringing the sweet smelling liquid to his nose and getting lost in it's living ecstasy.

Ai was beginning to get more afraid now, she could see the evil glint and feel the evil aura that he had surrounding him. She began not only fearing for her own life but fearing for her unborn child's life as well.

"I fail to understand what you're talking about." She responded, trying to keep her wits about her.

Now, his demeanor changed from sickly excited to anger and he stepped closer to her within seconds and the back of his hand landed across her cheek.

"Do not lie to me, wench." The sick smirk came back to his face when he saw her fall to the ground and his body became excited once again as he dragged her up to face him by her hair.

"You will do as I say or I shall kill you now rather than later."

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Takara sighed a little bit as she finally lay the sleeping infant down in her bed. The rain hadn't stopped for the past five days, occasionally lightening to a sprinkle but continuing still. It had been making everyone in the castle restless and cranky, which hadn't helped with the infant who felt everyone's uneasiness and began to grow cranky herself. At least she had others to talk to and Haku had a few other children to play with other than just her bother.

Falling onto her bed, she threw an arm over her eyes, the sound of the rain falling slowly lulling to sleep because when she woke up again, the rain had stopped and the sun was shining brightly and the sound of laughter floated to her ears. Yawning, she stood and went to the window that she promptly opened to let some air flow.

Looking down, she saw Haku and her youngest brother playing outside, laughing and singing to some song that she recognized as a song from the modern movie 'The Lion King' from back when they were staying in the modern time.

"I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts all standing in a row. Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head!" Katsu sang, gigging along with Haku. Takara smiled a little and recalled the night that she and her brother found out that they were from 500 years in the past …

She frowned, remembering the letter that was wrapped around the rock that had struck her brother in the head. Whoever threw it had really good aim but that wasn't the point.

"I wonder what the threat was … " She wondered out loud, absently watching the kids play. She lightly tapped her clawed fingers against the marble window frame, thinking. She hadn't really seen anything that was supposedly out of the usual …

"Takara, do you know where Ai is?" Takara blinked a little, turning to see her twin brother, Kasei.

"Huh?" He rolled his eyes.

"Do you know where Ai is?"

"Oh … um … she said something about needing to go see her tribe or whatever they're called."

Kasei frowned a little. "Yeah but that was hours ago. She should have been back by now."

Takara shrugged. "Maybe she decided to stay the night."

"Maybe but … I don't know … something's not sitting right."

"Well, go look for her." Kasei nodded a little.

"Alright." With that, he left in search of Ai. He could faintly pick up her scent along the roads so he followed that. He still couldn't figure out why she wasn't back yet, she was always back within a few hours of being gone.

He skidded to a halt when he could faintly smell blood and he followed the scent as it got stronger and stronger. Soon, he found a small little puddle of it though it was mostly mixed with rainwater, it was still strong. Crouching down, he sniffed it and growled.

It was Ai's blood.

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"I see you've got our bait, Kuritomo." The demon nodded a little, bowing.

"Yes, my master." He smirked a little, his red eyes glinting.

"Good. Keep her alive and well fed in one of our finest rooms. We wouldn't our guest to be uncomfortable during her stay." With that, he turned on his heel and walked away. The other demon, the one that captured her, laughed, dragging Ai to her feet.

"Yes, my master." Ai looked around, trying to figure out where she was. All she could make out was that she was in an old castle, made entirely out of marble.

She was then shown to a room, which she thought she would have considered beautiful, if not for the circumstances under which she was seeing the room.

"A tray of food will be sent up to you." Ai's capturer told her, closing the door and locking it right after he said that. Ai watched him and heard the lock click and tears welled up in her eyes.

She was so afraid …

She missed Kasei and everyone else. She was in such an unfamiliar place …

With a heavy sigh, Ai refused to let her tears fall and she walked to the window that opened to her complete and total surprise. Slowly, she looked at the scenery and recognized most of it and found her landmark.

If she could get to that then she could find her way back to the castle and Kasei! Slowly opening the door, Ai gulped a little and slowly stepped out onto the slick marble edge. She never had been good with heights and she was at least three stories up …

The rain had made everything slippery and wet and it was a very small ledge. Slowly, she began walking sideways along the ledge, praying that she wouldn't slip and she slowly got a little more confidant. Walking a little faster, some of the rock had been eroded and a little bit of the ledge crumbled beneath her foot, throwing her off balance and she quickly grabbed onto some strong vines that were anchored into the side of the castle.

Catching her breath again, she closed her eyes, nearly crying but feeling the adrenaline pumping through her body. She looked to the gap, frowning. It was too big to just step over but … how else would she get across? She could jump …

She shook her head. No! No way was she going to jump. She looked at the gap again and gently bit her lip. Did she really have much of a choice? She gulped and nodded a little. She was going to have to jump; she didn't have any other choice. She couldn't climb down on the vines since she didn't know if the vines went all the way down or could even hold her weight.

Sighing, she looked at the gap again and gathered her courage. Okay … she had to. If she wanted to get back so badly, she had to jump. Thinking of everyone that she missed already gave her a little bit more courage but didn't make it any less scary.

She mentally counted to three and jumped the gap, landing on the other side of the ledge but unable to keep her balance, she rocked back and fourth, her arms flailing around and she stepped to the side and her foot slipped.

Managing to catch herself on the ledge, she dug her claws in and slowly pulled herself up. Slowly standing on the ledge again, she wrapped her hands around the vines and closed her eyes, tears running down her cheeks, her heart pounding in her chest. She was okay. She made it. She was back on the ledge again. Her hands were shaking and she had to take some deep, calming breaths to make them stop and, finally, she was ready to continue on.

After a while, she spotted a tree that was so close, she held onto a branch and climbed to the trunk of the tree. She felt a lot safer in the tree than on the ledge now, a whole lot more. The tree wasn't going to crumble anytime soon and she slowly made her way down it.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of climbing down the tree, she touched solid ground and silently rejoiced for a few minutes before running towards her landmark. She had stopped in the tree and found the landmark and figured out which way she needed to go once she got on the ground.

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"We have an escapee, master." The demon that had captured Ai said, coming into another room. The obviously more powerful demon was standing in front of the window, his hands behind his back. He could easily see Ai running and he looked to where she was headed.

"So it seems." The other demon slowly walked further into the room, crouching down and showing submission to the more powerful demon.

"Shall I go and fetch her, master?"

He didn't reply, he just watched Ai. The other demon got closer, crouching down even lower.

"Master?"

"Do what you will but keep her alive. She's no use to us dead." The lower demon nodded.

"Yes master." He said before running out, changing into his true form, which was a wolf and began running after Ai.

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**A/N: Sorry for taking so long, everyone! I've finally got my flow back! I'm sorry for not using the ideas that I got but they were very, very much appreciated! They will be used sometime so don't think that they are going to go unnoticed. **

**Thank you to:**

Crimson Blade66 

**inugirl4ever**

**Brittany**

**k4g0me**

**sana**

**teiboi**

**mangadreams**

**pandoraskeeper**

**hakomakura**

**DarkDemoness14**

**Replies:**

**hakomakura: Marking is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It's like how animals mark their territory but with placing a bite mark on a certain spot on a female/male's neck.**


	25. The Past Revived

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**The Past Revived**

**Disclaimer: I realize that I don't own InuYasha, manga or anime. If I did … I would make Sesshy for myself!**

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"Shall I follow them, master?" A female voice asked. The leading demon looked at the woman's reflection in the glass, studying his latest and most trust worthy follower. She was average height with pure white hair and white eyes with dark blue markings on her face and neck. She wore clothes resembling a priestess' garb and a simple leather belt with a black pouch attached to it. He'd never seen her use the pouch but, as far as he could tell, she didn't have to.

She also carried some sort of flute though it curled at the end. She was currently kneeling, her head bowed and eyes closed. The woman gave him the creeps sometimes and this was one of those times. Even though she was not looking in his direction, he felt as if dozens of watchful eyes were on him at one time.

"Yes. I do not trust Kuritomo to follow orders." She nodded and stood, beginning to walk out of the room.

"Oh, Sakimu," He started.

"Yes, master?" She stopped and turned to him.

"Stir things up a bit."

"Yes, master." She nodded and headed out.

Kuritomo looked up and growled, seeing the female. "What are you doing here, Sakimu? I can handle this myself!" He snapped, not even earning a single look his way. It really gave him the creeps how she could just fly without wings or anything.

"I have been sent here on orders from our master, Kuritomo." Her voice was very monotone, never raising or falling, almost sounding like a robot.

He frowned a little but didn't say anything. He didn't quite feel like having the creepy girl turn her quite unknown, for the most part anyways, powers on him.

"Well … whatever."

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Kasei spotted Ai resting underneath a nice shady tree and he gave a sigh of relief and ran up to her. "Ai!" He called happily.

Ai looked up but looked away, as if she wasn't interested. Kasei blinked a little, confused at her very unexpected reaction. Going over to her, he knelt down.

"Ai, what's wrong? You're not still angry with me from this morning are you? I didn't mean to take the boy's sides but they thought that you would like those bugs." Ai looked to him, her eyes cool, calm and almost seeming to be giving off a very bored reaction.

"If you think that's what this is all about, you're even more stupid than you look." This nearly knocked Kasei on his back. Something was DEFINATLY wrong with her.

"A-Ai? What's wrong with you? It's me, Kasei. You know … we're suppose to be married soon."

"What's your point?" She snapped, getting up and walking away in the opposite direction of the castle. Kasei blinked but growled a little. This had gone on far too long, if she was still angry with him, that was fine but she didn't have to be so abusive! Running over, he grabbed her wrist.

"If you're still angry with me, that's fine but I don't need to hear you say such mean and spiteful things. I'm taking you back to the castle." Ai narrowed her eyes at his hand on her wrist and yanked it away.

"Stay away from me, half breed." She snapped with a growl.

Sakimu was sitting in a tree a little ways away, watching the whole thing with a hollow but evil smirk on her features; her white eyes had gone red. With a chuckle, she reached to her pouch, setting it down in her lap. "Hmm … well, Ai my dear, should I have you kill him now or let's have a little fun with his poor little heart?"

Opening her pouch, she took out a leaf, sending it flying to the ground next to Ai. "Why not a little bit of both for now anyways? Master never said anything about not being able to kill you, Kasei. After you … then it's your mother."

Ai bent down to pick up the leaf and it turned into a long sword that widened and curved at the end. Kasei looked to her and then to the sword that she seemed to have pulled from her belt and he was slowly getting this sinking feeling that whatever was wrong with Ai may just be the beginning.

"Oh, indeed it is just the beginning, my dear half puppy." Ai said with evil radiating from that sentence alone. Kasei blinked, a little confused.

"Ai? What are you – HOLY!" He jumped out of the way just in time to avoid getting sliced in half by Ai who still had the sword, though his shirt wasn't so lucky. Looking down at the chest, he gulped a little bit. If he had stood still for even half a second longer, that would've gotten him, too and not just his shirt.

"C'mon, Ai, don't be like this." Jumping out of the way again, Kasei darted and grabbed hold of her wrist, holding it away so she couldn't slice him. He grabbed her other hand so she couldn't claw him either. Her eyes had gone dark and lifeless, obviously a sign that she was being controlled, but … by who? He couldn't smell or sense any evil at all, not even on Ai.

"Ai, you've got to snap out of this, you're being controlled by someone!" Ai lifeless dark golden eyes shifted to him and her knee came up, connecting with his groin and she shoved him down, handling the sword like a pro. Kasei looked up at his soon-to-be wife and his heart slammed up against his ribs. He couldn't do anything, he could hardly breathe as it was. His mind raced, trying to think of something to do. He had to save Ai but he had to make sure that she didn't kill him first but what could he do? He knew nothing about breaking control over someone.

"You've come to an end, you pathetic half breed." Now, the voice that was speaking to him was a mixture of Ai's and someone else's. Raising the sword, it glinted in the sun as it rose higher and higher until it was above her head. A smirk came to her features, showing her fangs, making her look more dangerous than anything else Kasei had ever seen.

Closing his eyes tightly, Ai brought the sword down.

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Kagome was picking herbs outside the castle gates by herself when Sesshomaru came out. "Kagome, do you think you should be outside the castle gates by yourself? Especially now." Kagome looked up to him and gave him her million-dollar smile.

"I'll be fine. It's not like help is far away if I need it. Besides, I'm a big girl with priestess powers." Sesshomaru looked down to his mate and sighed a little bit. He knew that he could never make her comply with most of his wishes so he bent them a little just to avoid mindless squabbles. This, was one of those times.

"Alright, if you're sure you will be fine, I will at least send someone out to check on you. I will also be in my study if you need anything." Turning, he walked towards the castle. Kagome smiled as she watched him go. He really did worry a little too much and she really could take care of herself. Going back to her picking, it wasn't until the first of the people that was sent to keep an eye on her had left that Sakimu made her appearance.

She disguised herself as a lost young woman from a nearby village, just thankful to see someone. "Oh, I beg your pardon Lady Kagome." Kagome looked up and smiled.

"Hi there. What can I do for you?" Kagome stood up and brushed herself off.

"I don't mean to disturb you but, I'm from a nearby village and I was sent to gather firewood and I took a wrong turn." Kagome smiled again, always glad to be of help to someone.

"Well, which way is your village?" Sakimu pointed in the direction and Kagome nodded.

"You don't live that far, I'll help you get back." Sakimu beamed and bowed.

"Oh, thank you Lady Kagome! You are truly kind!" _Even though your kindness will be your downfall and then we shall reign over these lands while your mate, too heartbroken to defend himself, dies at our master's hands._

After they had been walking for some time, Kagome frowned a little. "Are you sure this is the way?"

"Oh, yes, Lady Kagome." Kagome smiled at her again.

"Alright then, we must be getting there really soon then." Sakimu smiled and then turned away a little, grinning evilly. _Yes, Lady Kagome, I'm positive this is the way. The way to your demise, that is!_

Soon, Kagome stopped, sitting down for a bit. "Whew. I guess I underestimated how long the journey actually was. Looking over, she saw the young woman had her back to her and was just standing there.

"Um, is there something wrong?" A laugh seemed to come from all directions at once.

"Something wrong? Oh no … nothing is wrong, Lady Kagome." She turned around and her illusion of villager clothes disappeared. "Everything is just fine." Kagome gasped a little and backed away, instinctively reaching for her arrows but remembering she'd left them at the castle! Looking to Sakimu her eyes widened and fear began pulsing through her body as she found herself wishing that she had listened to Sesshomaru.

Sakimu chuckled a little, she lifted her flute from her back and took a few steps towards Kagome.

"Yes, Kagome, you should have listened to your darling Sesshomaru. He was right, you know, you really should've stayed inside the castle walls. But, now, not even your Lord Sesshomaru can save you now." Taking another leaf out of her pouch, she held it in her hand as it floated a few inches above her palm and turned into the same sword that she had made Ai use on Kasei.

Kagome's eyes widened more and as Sakimu advanced on Kagome, she kept backing up until she backed up into a tree. A small gasp came from her and she saw the still wet blood on the sword, she felt her way around the tree, darting out of the way just time because when she looked up, the sword was right where her heart had been.

Picking herself up, she ran as fast as her legs and feet could carry her. Sakimu chuckled a little bit as she pulled the sword out of the tree with ease.

"Yes, Kagome. Run, make this interesting for me. You have no idea how boring it is to just kill someone when they're frozen with fear." Kagome was having a bit of a hard time running in her kimono so it was using more of her energy than usual, making her tire more easily. Stumbling over a rock, Kagome slowly picked herself up off the ground, breathing hard. Her body was saying just to stop and rest but her brain was screaming at her to push herself harder. She had to get away. Getting up, she ripped her already torn kimono and it freed up her legs more, allowing her to get away just in the nick of time.

Sakimu's sword came down on empty fabric and she chuckled, looking up in the direction of where Kagome went. Picking her sword up, she chased after Kagome, an evil grin on her face and her speed whipping her hair and clothes around though it looked like she didn't even notice.

"Legs, don't fail me now." Kagome begged as she ran up a hill, not having a clue where she was anymore. Breathing hard, she stopped on the hill and looked around. She didn't see her pursuer anywhere and part of her was a little relieved. Maybe she had lost her in the thick of the forest.

"I don't think so!" Came a shout from above her. Kagome shrieked loudly, hearing it bounce off the trees right before she lost her balance and began tumbling down the hill, managing to hit her head on a rock which knocked her unconscious and a bit of blood seeped from her forehead wound. Sakimu chuckled as she came floating down, sword ready.

"Even though you're Kikyo and Midoriku's reincarnation, you're still a pathetic human." Just as she was about to dive her sword into Kagome's chest, her master's voice rung in her head.

_SAKIMU!_ She winced a little and ceased what she was doing.

"Yes master?"

_Change of plans, Sakimu. Kuritomo has been slain and we need to retreat for now. Take the girl with you and bring her back to the castle._

Sakimu nodded, her sword disappearing. "Yes master." She looked down at Kagome and chuckled a little bit. "You've been lucky but your luck will run out sooner or later." With that, she picked Kagome up and flew towards her master's castle, not realizing that the small amount of blood that was seeping from Kagome's forehead was leaving something of a trail to their destination.

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"Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru!" Jakken screeched, bursting into his lord's study. Sesshomaru growled in warning.

"This better be good, Jakken." Jakken nodded and continued on quickly.

"Lady Kagome is gone, Lord Sesshomaru!" Sesshomaru's face paled and his stomach and heart plummeted to his feet but then a second later, panic filled him and he got up so fast that he broke his desk in half and sent his chair smashing against the marble wall. Racing out of the room, he began calling her and checking random rooms and finally, he burst out of the main doors of the castle.

"**KAGOME!"**

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Kasei groaned a little bit, the echoing and familiar howl rousing him from near death. Ai was sobbing while holding his head to her body. A few stray tears fell onto Kasei's cheek and it woke him up enough to try and sit up which he found out was a very large mistake and he instantly regretted it, letting out an unconscious growl of displeasure.

Ai heard it and blinked a little, holding him away. "K-Kasei? You're … alright … you're … alive!" She hugged him again and Kasei winced but put his arms around her as best he could.

"Yeah. What happened?" Ai bit her lip and looked away. Kasei looked up at her and it all came back to him. How he had thought like a fool and not recognized that Ai was being controlled earlier. He tightened his grip on her, which caused her to look at him.

"It wasn't your fault. You were being controlled." Kasei's ears twitched as he heard a very familiar howl and his heart skipped a beat. "We have to get back to the castle." Ai nodded and shifted so he could pull himself onto her back. Kasei blinked a little.

"Are you sure you can hold me?" Ai nodded.

"Positive. Hurry and climb on." Kasei nodded as well and climbed on. As soon as he was securely on, Ai took off like a bullet, surprising Kasei enough that he nearly fell off but he quickly regained himself and even though his side was burning like hell, he managed to hang on.

When they arrived at the castle, Sesshomaru was rounding up his entire army, which consisted of over a thousand demons of every type. He had even sent an express message to the other lords, which had agreed to help him. Kasei's jaw dropped when they were standing over a Cliffside, looking down at the rows and rows of demons of every shape and size, he even spotted a few unicorns.

"I wonder what's wrong." Kasei wondered aloud. Ai shook her head a little bit.

"It's something serious, really serious for an army this large but then again, your father is the most powerful of the four lords." Kasei nodded a little.

"Let's get down there and hurry." Ai took off again like a bullet but this time Kasei was hanging on tight.

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Sakimu was standing over Kagome when she awoke. "Glad to see you've awaken, Lady Kagome."

Kagome groaned a little, holding her head that was currently throbbing with extreme pain. Looking up, she gave a yelp and scampered away. Sakimu chuckled her hollow chuckle, looking down at her. Just as she was going to respond, a shadowed figure appeared in the doorway and Sakimu bowed in respect.

Shaking a little, Kagome strained her eyes to see who it was and he gave a low, quiet chuckle and stepped into the light of the room. Kagome's eyes widened and she gasped, moving back even more.

"You again." He did a fancy bow, looking over at Kagome from his bowed position with a blood-chilling smirk.

"Yes, it's nice to see you again, **Lady** Kagome."

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**A/N: Yeah! Another chapter done! Now … here's another twist for you all …**

**Your reviews decide Kagome's fate. Lots of reviews mean that Sesshomaru finds Kagome and kills all the bad guys.**

**Few reviews mean that … well … the opposite of the lots of reviews option.**

**I made this chapter extra long for everyone who had been so extra patient with me. Who knows … maybe chapter 25 will be ten pages, instead of six.**

**An Extra Special Thanks To:**

**sana**

**k4g0me**

**Lauryn**

**Amy Kachelries**

**teiboi**

**Sana gave me a few ides that I just modified a little to fit the story **

**ENJOY EVERYONE!**


	26. Rescuing Kagome&Operation Save Dad

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

**Rescuing Kagome and Operation Save Dad**

**Disclaimer: How many times do I have to repeat myself? Geez … clean out your ears! I don't own InuYasha!**

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Kasei and Ai finally reached Sesshomaru and what they saw made shivers run down their spines.

"Father?" Kasei began slowly, his brain telling him not to make any sudden movements. Sesshomaru's eyes had lost their golden color long ago and now were beginning to go blood red and his fangs had even seemed to lengthen.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" Ai called softly but to no avail, he seemed to be in some sort of enraged trance.

"Mom has been kidnapped." A male voice said from behind them, making the couple jump. They turned around to see Kasei's older brother, Shippo, decked out in armor.

"What? By who?" Ai questioned, almost panicking. She had heard the stories about the foolish that dared to mess with Sesshomaru and it wasn't pretty.

Kasei didn't say anything, he just thought long and hard. It was obviously someone who had it in for his entire family … Ai broke into his thoughts with a gasp.

"Sakimu." This easily caught Shippo's hearing and he turned to the couple.

"Who?"

"There is this some sort of demon and her name is Sakimu. She was controlling my body and … " She trailed off, shame filling her. Shippo frowned a little bit and footsteps caught his attention and he moved out of the way quickly as a powerful demon came up to them. Ai noticed the demons shoes and looked up into Sesshomaru's face.

"Tell me more about this demon." He demanded in a cool voice, making everyone within hearing distance shiver.

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Later, Ai had finished telling him everything she knew about Sakimu and how she had been kidnapped but managed to get away only to run into this wolf demon in which she had managed to escape from by him falling off a cliff. She told Sesshomaru about the castle and the little she could see and tell about the leader and he didn't say anything to her, just turned to his army and held up a sword, letting out a battle cry.

The army roared back and they took off, lead by Sesshomaru. They went up, over or through anything that was in their way and Sesshomaru stopped, Kagome's scent mingled with the smell of her blood tingled his sensitive nose. With a growl, he turned back to his army.

"We have found a trail." He announced and began following it, being followed by the massive army. Ai and Kasei just watched them leave the castle grounds before the healers ushered the couple into the surprisingly small medicine section of the castle.

The trail was easy enough to follow for Sesshomaru and they soon arrived at the castle, which loomed above them and resembled Sesshomaru's own castle but not nearly as nice. Sesshomaru had to yank himself back into control the second the castle came into sight and Shippo helped to calm him.

"This could be some sort of trap, using Kagome as bait." Sesshomaru nodded at the boy's statement. Indeed, it was most likely a trap.

"If you can wait out of sight, Sesshomaru, then a few of the men can cause a big enough distraction so I can go in and find Kagome." The great dog demon looked to the kitsune, slight surprise on his features.

"You will be caught much before you can ever reach Kagome." Shippo grinned and took out a leaf.

"Not if I'm invisible." With a slight poof, he had vanished and Sesshomaru was completely at a loss, since the boy's youki and scent has disappeared along with his physical form. Whether or not he liked it, the plan was not set into action so Sesshomaru slinked into the shadows of the trees.

Sakimu was watching from a window and she made her way to her master.

"Master, we have a very alarming amount of visitors." She informed him which caused him to move to a different window and frown. This was going to put a wrench into his plans. He had no idea that Sesshomaru would be enraged enough to form the biggest army he had ever seen. He was just expecting the great demon lord to come by himself and try to hopelessly rescue his human mate. He had many minions and the first wave of the army was eating up his own which didn't please him in the slightest.

Scanning over the massive and certainly alarming army, he realize that they would, indeed, come in waves but, no army was a real army without a leader so it could only mean that his target was somewhere nearby. With a chuckle, any fear that he had held had disappeared.

"What shall we do, Master?" Sakimu asked in her usual monotone voice.

"Let them come, Sakimu. Our target is somewhere near by." After issuing his orders, he walked out of the room, leaving Sakimu to herself and he headed up to the roof of the castle.

Shippo was weaving in and out of corridors, making his way to where he would find Kagome. He had picked up her scent and followed it about the castle for some time before finding one that was the strongest and followed it. He was in luck since it just kept getting stronger and stronger and he finally found Kagome sitting on a pile of straw in dark, damp and very unpleasant dungeon room. Looking around, he was slightly surprised to see that she wasn't being guarded in the least. He stopped and sniffed around, trying to pick up any other scents that would pose a threat to his plan of getting Kagome out of there.

Finding none, he moved to the door and slowly opened it, wincing and stopping as it creaked and groaned. He was still invisible but the sound of the door could have attracted some unwanted guests. Looking around and listening, he put his senses on high alert though; the other thing he could hear was Kagome's breathing and the sounds of battle outside of the walls.

Finally satisfied that they were alone, Shippo slipped into the room where Kagome was. "Kagome."

Kagome stirred a little and woke up, looking around and blinking. "H-hello?"

"Kagome." Shippo called again, watching as she turned her head to the sound but frowned in confusion. Raising a hand, he lifted the leaf up and he could be seen again. Kagome's eyes widened and she got up, launching herself at Shippo.

Shippo hugged his adopted mother back with a smile. "Are you hurt?" Kagome shook her head a little.

"Not really, I hit my head on a rock earlier but it's fine now. What are you doing here?"

"We've come to rescue you." Kagome blinked a little.

"We? As in Sesshomaru is here as well?" Shippo nodded and frowned a little when he didn't get the expected smile along with the expected happy and relieved response.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"It's a trap, Shippo. He wants to kill Sesshomaru because he believes that Sesshomaru killed InuYasha's mother in which he was in love with." Shippo blinked a little bit.

"Who? Him who?"

"Takimaru." Shippo's memory ran the name and came up with a faint memory.

"Takimaru of Setsuna? The guy who kidnapped you and Rin and got possessed by Sounga?" Kagome nodded and Shippo though for a minute.

"Sesshomaru is staying outside though, he's not coming into the castle." Kagome nodded again and then noticed the armor he was wearing.

"Shippo, why are you wearing armor?" Shippo grinned a little.

"You should see the army that's outside, Kagome. I know you're not particularly fond of fighting but as soon as Sesshomaru found out that you had been kidnapped, he assembled this massive army." He shook his head a little, remembering that his business here was to get Kagome out of the castle and to Sesshomaru safely and soundly.

"We have to get going. If we hang around too long, someone is bound to come and check on you." Kagome nodded and Shippo's keen hearing picked up footsteps coming towards them. Shippo put Kagome back on the straw and he instantly made himself invisible, covering up all his demonic abilities including his scent and youki.

Sakimu came down and noticed that Kagome was sleeping. Scanning the room quickly, she paused and looked to wear Shippo was standing, holding his breath Kagome fake stirred a little, drawing Sakimu's attention to her and away from Shippo. Scanning the room again, she decided that all was well and moved on.

A few minutes later, Shippo decided that it was safe to become visible again he let out the breath he had been holding and Kagome stood up, looking to Shippo who crouched down to let his adopted mother climb onto his back.

Kagome climbed on without a second thought and in and instant, they were both invisible and stealthily running down the corridors, trying to find an exit. Kagome leaned over to Shippo's ear, speaking very low and very quietly.

"I think there's a way out down here somewhere." Shippo nodded a little.

"Alright."

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By this time, the sun had lost the battle and the rain had come again and Takimaru was standing on the rooftop of the castle and a laugh of a mad man could be heard all the way to Sesshomaru's ears.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I never thought you to be a coward." He called out, eyes searching for any sign of the demon lord. Sesshomaru stood still though his blood cried out that he silence the voice that was calling him a coward but he told himself that he blew cover then Shippo's plan would be in vain and he might never get Kagome back alive.

"I know you're out there Lord Sesshomaru but, if you're not willing to blow your cover for your pride then maybe you'll be willing to for your mate." With a snap of his fingers, Sakimu found Shippo and Kagome and knocked them over, sending Kagome sprawling away from Shippo and becoming visible yet again.

Shippo groaned and lifted his head just in time to see Kagome being carted off by a very strange looking woman. Growling a little, he jumped to his feet and ran after them but he just couldn't keep up and he chased them until they found the roof. Kagome regained consciousness once the cold rain began hitting her face and she looked around, confused and then fear ran through her body when she saw her capturer and then Takimaru.

Shippo growled again and made a mad dash for Kagome but Sakimu just handed her to Takimaru and used her flute to draw up a barrier, preventing him from reaching her. Shippo slammed into the barrier just to be thrown backwards. Slowly getting up, he could only watch as Takimaru held Kagome in his outstretched hand so she was dangling in the air. Kagome looked down and gulped, hanging onto Takimaru's arm for dear life.

Sesshomaru watched the scene unfold and he felt his heart slam into him and his breath leave him. He didn't know what the hell to do! If he left his cover behind and tried to save Kagome, Takimaru could easily kill her though he knew that he could catch her if he dropped her. Takimaru chuckled and tightened his grip on Kagome's neck, slowly choking off her air supply. Kagome gasped and wriggled, trying anything to get him to loosen his grip.

The scene reached Sesshomaru's eyes and he growled deeply, causing a few of the soldiers that were close to him to step away and quickly. His eyes went red and the wind picked up around him and soon, a giant dog appeared through the red wind, drawing the attention of everyone around him. Kagome's eyes widened, she had only ever seen Sesshomaru transform and that was at the very beginning of her travels with InuYasha!

"Well, Lord Sesshomaru, how about we forget the girl and settle this one on one?" Takimaru's taunting voice reached his ears and he raised his hackles, a loud growl coming from him.

"No? Well then, say good bye to your precious mate!" He bellowed, letting go of Kagome completely, pleased with her terrified shriek. Sesshomaru only froze for a fraction of a second before he ran towards the castle, leaping and bounding over the troops and finally launching himself into the sky, aiming to catch Kagome but, on cue, Sakimu flew down and grabbed Kagome, bringing her back to Takimaru who put a long and very sharp sword to her throat.

A sick smirk came to his lips when he saw the great dog demon freeze.

"I have a proposition for you, Lord Sesshomaru. It's just a little trade. You turn yourself over to me in exchange for the girl's life." Kagome's eyes widened.

"No, Sesshomaru! Don't do it! It's a trap!"

"Shut up, wench!" Takimaru growled and backhanded Kagome so hard that she fell to the hard surface of the roof, unconscious. Drawing his sword again, he tilted Kagome's head up a little so the point of the sword was aimed to slice through without a moment's hesitation. He slowly lifted his gaze from Kagome's unconscious form to Sesshomaru who had transformed back to his regular self.

"Do we have a deal, Lord Sesshomaru?" Sesshomaru looked at Kagome and then at everyone else and slowly nodded.

"We have a deal, Takimaru." The sick smirk came back to his face and he looked to Sakimu, who let the barrier down, allowing Shippo access.

"Take your lady back where she belongs and don't try anything smart or I'll kill your lord right here and now." Shippo growled at them but slowly picked up Kagome's unconscious body, jumping form the roof and landing easily.

Slowly, the army walked away from the castle, returning back home to Sesshomaru's castle. Shippo carried Kagome easily but inwardly cursed himself for not being able to do anything other than just stand there. He could still faintly hear Takimaru's commands for Sesshomaru to rid himself of his armor and swords and he heard the distinctive clink of Sesshomaru doing exactly that.

Turning his attention back to the journey ahead of them, he couldn't help but feel as if he had failed Kagome yet again …

Everyone that had stayed behind, including Sango, Miroku and InuYasha, was waiting impatiently for them to return. InuYasha was pacing and Takara was standing on the outer walls that surrounded the castle and the earth around it.

When she saw the first of the troops, she gave a sharp whistle and the gates opened but no one could see a happy face and finally spotted Shippo, bringing up the rear, carrying her mother. Takara's heart pounded and she couldn't take it anymore. Jumping down from the wall, she sped over to her obviously adopted brother before demanding,

"What happened! Where is he!" Her orders woke Kagome up who was set down on her feet and Shippo only looked away from the two. Tears came to Kagome's eyes and she stepped towards Shippo, who still wouldn't look at her.

"He agreed, didn't he?" Shippo finally brought his sad eyes to hers and Takara growled.

"Agreed to what? WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!" Shippo slowly nodded before finally speaking.

"He didn't want to risk your life, Kagome, so he agreed to stay behind." The news hit Takara and Kagome full force and, unlike her mother who began sobbing, she just ran. She didn't know where she was running to but she didn't care. That bastard was putting her mother through hell again probably just because of his flipping honor! Growling, she leapt over trees and anything in her way, going faster than she had ever gone before and when she was roused from her thoughts, she found herself at the castle where her father was.

She climbed a tree to get a better view and she saw him in the courtyard, chained up and shirtless. His back was bleeding and there was a masked demon lashing at him with a whip. He didn't cry out though he outwardly flinched and Takara blinked a little bit, forcing herself to stay and watch the scene that played out in front of her eyes.

He didn't stay behind just because of his honor, she realized. _He really does love her_, she thought. Standing, she was filled with new determination; she was going to bust him out. He couldn't get anywhere without his armor or weapons or anything like that and he certainly wasn't going to be going anywhere while he was chained up like that.

Growling again, she took off with the speed of a full demon and reached her home in record time.

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Miroku lightly stroked his chin while he thought over the bit of information he'd received from Takara. Sango was equally deep in thought though she occasionally glanced at Shippo and the others. InuYasha was being as fidgety as ever, not liking the thought of saving his bastard brother but, Kagome's reaction had hit him hard. Though he wasn't in love with her anymore but, she was his first friend after Kikyo and she had stuck through everything with him.

Kasei looked to his twin sister. "Are you sure this is going to work?" Takara looked to him and nodded in confidence.

"I'm positive. They won't be expecting this and Uncle InuYasha, Sango, Miroku and Shippo have defeated this Takimaru guy before."

"Well of course we have." InuYasha put in, crossing his arms. Kasei just ignored his uncle and slowly nodded at his sister's words.

"But, are you sure that we are experienced enough to go up against something like this?" Takara looked down at the question. She looked at her hands and memories came flooding back to her. This was their chance to give something back to their mother who had literally given up half her life to them.

"We have to at least try." The group nodded and an unfamiliar voice spoke.

"It is good to finally meet you two." Everyone blinked and turned to InuYasha, who looked at his shoulder and picked up the familiar flea between his claws.

"Myoga? What are you doing here?" InuYasha queried, frowning a little, watching the flea as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

"I came as fast as I could when I heard about the kidnapping of Lady Kagome." He opened his eyes and looked to Kasei and Takara.

"You are Kagome's offspring are you not?" They nodded and the flea nodded.

"You have interesting qualities, especially you, Takara." Sango leaned in, a little confused.

"What do you mean, Myoga?" Myoga cleared his throat a little, looking to the twin half demons.

"Well, you both are, indeed, half demons but, you, Takara, have the priestess blood that is surprisingly living in perfect harmony with your demon blood. Master InuYasha, you know of Kagome's very powerful priestess powers since you four traveled with her so much." The four companions nodded and InuYasha cut in before Myoga could continue.

"Wait, you're saying that she can shoot sacred arrows?" The flea nodded.

"That is exactly what I'm saying." Miroku nodded a little bit.

"That makes sense and it would certainly help us to have a miko on our side." Takara grinned a little bit.

"A half demon miko." She corrected and stood up.

"Alright. Tomorrow morning, we set out with our plan. Operation Save Dad." After a round of agreements, Takara leaned down, grinning and looking at Myoga.

"And you, flea, are coming with us."

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Just before they were about to set out the next morning, the found Kagome standing in her old school uniform that still surprisingly fit her, with a bunch of arrows on her back, carrying a bow. Everyone blinked a little bit, just staring at Kagome. For the four old traveling companions, it was like seeing a ghost but for the twins, it was just plain weird. Kagome looked to everyone in turn and finally spoke.

"I'm coming with you." Takara looked at Kasei who looked back and then they both looked to everyone else, not really knowing what to say.

"This is one time where I'm not going to sit by. He is in this mess because of me and I'm not going to let them kill him." Her voice waived a little and tears came to her eyes but she stood strong. Finally, it was actually InuYasha that broke the silence.

"Well then, hop on, Kagome." He crouched down to let Kagome climb on his back just like old times, which made her smile. Sango looked to Kiara who hopped down and transformed, letting Sango and Miroku climb on. This time, though, Shippo was on foot since he was old enough. Kasei and Takara were also on foot and InuYasha actually had a little bit of trouble keeping up.

Finally, the reached the castle and Takara climbed a tree with ease and, in the cover of the branches, she spotted a very unsuspecting Sakimu out in the open. Notching an arrow, she aimed carefully and let it fly, the arrow flying soundlessly and hitting Sakimu before she could react.

Sango swung her mighty boomerang and took out all the demons in their way, enabling them to get to the gate. They paused when they reached the gate and Takara looked to them, nodding to everyone before going their separate ways, Sango, Miroku, InuYasha and Kagome going in one direction to find Takimaru while Takara, Kasei and Shippo went to locate Sesshomaru.

After running through corridors, they found him battered, bruised and beaten, left to die from his wounds in a dark, dank and damp dungeon cell.

Not bothering to pick the lock, Takara just sliced through the door and went to his side. She gently rolled him over to examine the extent of the damage and it woke him from his unconscious state, causing him to groan in response to being woken and moved. Slowly, though, he opened his eyes and was more than a little surprised.

"Takara?" He asked rather weakly. Takara looked to him and smiled a little.

"Hey dad, what's happening?" Sesshomaru managed to smile at the expression even though he didn't fully understand the use of it, he was actually rather touched. He moved his head a little bit and saw Kasei and Shippo there as well who both gave him smiles and his son gave him the thumbs up.

"Nothing much, really." He replied, attempting at some humor. Takara smiled a little bit and moved to make room for her brother who, with the help of Shippo and herself, managed to get Sesshomaru onto Kasei's back.

"Man, when we get out of this, you're going on a diet." Sesshomaru chuckled a little bit. He had heard Kagome talk about diets a few times so he had a bit of an idea of what his children were talking about. Takara looked to her brother and then to Shippo, earning nods from them both.

"Alright, let's go." They took off as fast as they could, cutting down a few in the way demons before making it outside just in time to see Takimaru trying to escape, using Kagome as a hostage to ensure his safe escape. InuYasha was following him, Tetsaiga drawn but not making any movements to attack know that if he did, he would hit Kagome and probably kill her in the process.

"You think you could defeat me that easily? I am Takimaru of Setsuna! I will not be defeated so easily. You may have saved your lord but I still have the girl. She'll make a fine bride if I do say so myself and she'll bear me fine children." InuYasha growled and Takara growled even more, sounding almost like Sesshomaru. No one even noticed that she slipped off and towards the castle again.

InuYasha glared at him. "I've taken you down once and I'll do it again!"

Takimaru chuckled a little, still keeping his arm around Kagome, holding a dagger to her throat. He was walking backwards to where a ride was waiting.

"Maybe so but do you really want to kill the girl just to kill me?" He smirked when InuYasha paused and continued. "I didn't think so. You're only a half-breed, a pathetic half-breed that even teamed up with your friends to rescue your brother, you still couldn't kill me. You're just like your father, too weak to stop me."

InuYasha growled, pointing Tetsaiga at him again. "Yeah? So what? You're not going to get me with that stupid bullshit again, Takimaru!" Takimaru only laughed, stopping just before climbing onto his ride. InuYasha saw who was behind him and blinked a little bit at the strange object she was holding. It didn't look very threatening though it smelled funny. His ears twitched when he heard a clicking noise making Kagome freeze and Takimaru turn around.

Kagome's eyes widened a little, looking at the metal object, which she knew as a gun. "Takara, where did you get that?" Takara looked to her mother, giving her an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry mom. I thought that we might need it since we were coming here." Takimaru looked at the object and then burst out laughing.

"You don't honestly think that a tiny little thing like that will hurt me will you?" Takara glared at him and lifted the gun to the sky, firing it, making InuYasha cover his hears along with everyone else except Takimaru. She brought it back down and readied it to be fired, pointing it at his skull.

"You deserve to die a horrible, painful death. You have disrupted my entire family and nearly killed at least two of my family members." Takimaru narrowed his eyes at the weapon, fear slowly creeping into him at the girl's voice. It was eerily calm and it didn't do anything to calm him as she spoke with it while holding the mysterious weapon at his face.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow your fucking face off." If it weren't for Takara's ears and her swift movements, Takimaru would have landed another dagger in her gut. Jumping out of the way, her finger squeezed the trigger and the bullet went soaring into his forehead, a little bit of blood seeping out of the wound before he fell dead onto the cold hard roof of the castle which began to crumble.

InuYasha sheathed Tetsaiga and grabbed Kagome, jumping off the roof with Takara following behind. Once they landed, Takara unloaded the gun and put the safety on, putting it back in its place at her side. The group watched her and Takara looked up at everyone.

"I thought I would need it." She told her mother again. Kagome just shook her head and threw her arms around her daughter and only pulled back when Takara did. Kasei gradually set his father down, bracing him against himself for a minute. Kagome's eyes rested on a very beaten up Sesshomaru and they watered. Sesshomaru smiled a little and Kagome launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his waist, tears running down her cheeks.

Sesshomaru breathed a sigh of relief that everyone was safe and alive still, especially his mate. Wrapping his own arms around her, he took in her scent that never failed to soothe him and closed his eyes. It felt so good to at last, have her in his arms. They stood there, like that, for a long time until someone cleared their throat, drawing their attention to the crumbling castle.

Once the castle was at the ground, a large cloud of dust rose up and everyone just stood there, waiting for it to fall and when it finally did, Takara turned to the group.

"I think it's time we all went home." Sesshomaru smiled and nodded.

"Lead the way." She grinned and nodded. Sesshomaru was lifted onto Kasei's back again and Kagome climbed onto InuYasha's with Shippo who also traveled on foot and Sango and Miroku who rode Kiara.

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**A/N: BOOYAH! Another chapter down! I hope you guys liked this one :3 I made it extra long because you all have been just so awesome lately!**

**I have a correction on the date that I actually do leave town. Instead of August 20th, it's actually the 18th. I will try my hardest to update before then and get computer access during that time.**

**Now! A special thank you to my reviewers:**

Merani chan 

**sassy girl31**

**Panny-Son-Briefs**

**Brittany**

**teiboi**

**anime angel**

**Jessica Broward**

**k4g0me**


	27. Broken Spirit&Secrets Revealed

Chapter Twenty-Six

A Broken Spirit and Secrets Revealed

Disclaimer: If I owned InuYasha do you think that I would write all this?

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Sesshomaru was lying in bed, waiting for Kagome to awaken. Looking over at his mate, he sighed a little bit. Even though he had completely recovered physically, he couldn't get over this blockage he was having, preventing himself from being his normal self.

Why couldn't he protect them all, especially Kagome? He should have known that something was going on right underneath his very nose; it was his land after all. Was he failing as a Lord? Kagome had been hurt so many times because of him and … he was honestly beginning to believe that he was failing as a father especially. Because of his dedication to his lands those long eleven years ago, Kagome got trapped in her own time with the twins and being pregnant with Katsu. It was because of that 'dedication' that they spent those miserable years apart and that his children spent eleven years without a father and the twins literally grew up without a father.

It was his fault. His entire fault …

Sesshomaru got up and dressed quickly, not waiting for Kagome to wake from her slumber and left the castle in a hurry. He needed to do something to clear his mind otherwise he would go insane.

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Later that day, Kagome was sitting in the garden with the entire family … minus one brooding lord whom she hadn't even seen since the night before. Heaving a heavy sigh, she didn't notice the pairs of eyes on her.

Haku tugged on his adopted mother's sleeve. "Okaa-san, why does obaa-san look so sad?" Takara smiled and looked to him.

"I'm not sure, Haku, why don't you talk to her?" The young boy nodded and walked over to Kagome, sitting down beside her.

"Obaa-san, why are you sad?" Kagome looked to the boy and smiled brightly at him.

"It's nothing to worry about, Haku. Why don't you play with Katsu?" Haku nodded, not seeing a reason to press the issue and followed her suggestion.

InuYasha walked over to Kagome and looked down at her. "Oi, wench, let's go for a walk." Kagome looked to the others and then to InuYasha and nodded. "Alright."

They didn't talk for a while and Kagome was thankful. She just walked, looking at the ground, lost in her thoughts and didn't even notice that her companion had stopped and walked right into him. Thankful for her, InuYasha grabbed her before she hit the ground and pulled her into a comforting hug and he instantly smelt her tears.

"Kagome, what's wrong with you today?" Kagome trembled a little bit and she bit her lip, trying her best to hold back her tears but, she really couldn't hide anything from her longest standing friend.

"InuYasha … "Her voice broke and InuYasha just pressed her closer.

"Kagome, did he do something to you?" Even if InuYasha disliked his brother, he knew for a fact that he wouldn't harm Kagome, intentionally anyways. Kagome just buried her face in the familiar red harori.

"InuYasha, it's all my fault. I was too weak and stupid and I couldn't protect myself even after all that training … it's my fault that he's hurt … all my fault … he left … he left us … " InuYasha sighed a little bit, a small smile playing on his face.

"Kagome … " He held her at arms length and his smile vanished, turning into a frown. He'd never seen her this upset before … not even before with all those times when she'd caught him with Kikyo.

"What if he doesn't come back this time?! What if he's gone for good?! It's my fault that he left! I was too weak! Too gullible! He told me that I shouldn't have been alone outside the castle walls! I should have listened to him! Everything that happened his my fault!" Now the tears came with strong force, leaving InuYasha at a loss of what to do, how to comfort her so he did the only thing that came to his mind; he bonked her over the head.

"Stop that, will ya?! Don't go thinking stupid things like that, you baka! Sesshomaru may be a baka lord but he LOVES you, Kagome! He would never leave you for good! It's just not possible for him!" InuYasha cast his head downward, his bangs hiding his eyes.

"When you were trapped in your time, that baka worked me like a dog, doing everything and anything he could think of to get that stupid well working and when nothing would work, he bloody well locked himself up in your room, hardly ever going outside. Then he went back to his usual stoic self and was even cold to Rin. There was almost no living with him for those eleven years. After the first year you were gone, he would leave the castle and just roam and roam the land, looking for trouble, looking for anyone that would challenge him, looking for anything to ease the pain of you being gone."

Kagome's eyes went wide as she listened to InuYasha tell her all this. She had no idea …

"Everyone in the castle was afraid of him again but … that day you came back, that day everyone felt it again, was the most life we'd seen in that baka since the well stopped working. He was just lying in his bed, moping some more when Yuri convinced me to go see him. His eyes snapped open and he moved so fast that I blinked and missed him. I've never seen him move as fast as he did that day." InuYasha paused and held out a hand for Kagome to help her up off the ground.

"I'm sorry for hitting you but you needed to snap out of it and realize that he would never intentionally leave you and he would rather endure what happened at that place one hundred times over than lose you again." Kagome's eyes welled up again and she turned when she heard someone step out from the bushes.

To her surprise, it was the same person that they had been talking about for the past little while. He was battered and beaten but smiling still. He opened his arms and Kagome launched herself at him, feeling his strong, protective arms go around her.

InuYasha crossed his arms and gave a 'feh' but smiled at the couple, jumping away to give them a little peace.

"Kagome, why did you think that I would leave you?" Sesshomaru closed his eyes, taking in her scent and the feel of having her in his arms, burying his face in her long raven tresses.

"I don't know … I'm sorry … I … just … it's my fault what happened to you. I should have listened to you … " Kagome sobbed into his chest, clutching his kimono tightly.

"Don't look at it that way. Think about this, though. I believe that it is for the better that the events unfolded this way instead of another way. It could have been much worse and more people could have been harmed, even killed. It's true that there were casualties but everyone stayed alive and our two grandchildren remained safe and no one attacked the our castle where the numbers of the wounded would have been much greater." Kagome thought about it as he spoke and slowly nodded.

"You're right … I'm sorry …" Sesshomaru held her away from him slightly, a smile on his face, his golden eyes soft and full of love while the sun filtered through the trees, giving the surrounding area a magical feel. He stopped her in mid sentence with a single clawed finger.

"Enough with the apologies, no one is to blame for this. Everyone and everything is fine now." Kagome smiled at his words and met him for a tender kiss.

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Later that night while everyone was either in bed or just settling in for the night, Haku walked the trail from the castle to where his old home was with his two tailed fire cat.

They came across a burial site and Haku placed some flowers he had picked on his families graves and sat on his knees with a smile. "Hello everyone, I'm sorry I haven't come to visit lately but there have been some problems with everyone at the castle. Don't worry though, everything is alright now. Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Kagome are back to their usual selves and it's a great relief. Lady Kagome is so kind, mother, you would like her a lot and okaa-san Takara is a lot like her. Lady Kagome is a priestess, father so Lord Sesshomaru says it's a good thing that she is taking care of the jewel for me, I hope you don't mind. She said that it would probably better for her to look after it rather than a small boy like me."

A little ways away, Takara, who had noticed the boy missing, was walking through the forest, obviously looking for him.

"Haku! Haku, where are you?" She stopped and put her hands on her hips, giving a bit of a sigh.

"Jeez, where could he have gotten to? It's not exactly safe for him to be out here alone, even if he is with Bento." She stopped and spotted him in front of some graves with flowers placed on them. "There he is."

Starting towards him, she stopped again, hearing him talk about castle life. A small smile played out on her face at the endearment in his voice and she started towards him again.

"Oi, Haku. What are you doing out here?" The boy with the dark hair, tied into a small ponytail, much like Miroku's turned and looked to her, and smiling the instant he saw his adopted mother. Takara walked over to him, wearing clothes from the modern era and stopped beside him. Looking down, she frowned a little bit.

"It's not safe for you to be out here on your own, even if you are with Bento." Haku nodded a little bit.

"Gomen, mother. Oh! Mother, father, this is Takara. She's the one who is taking care of me." Takara folded her hands in front of her and bowed politely to the graves. The boy smiled brightly, happy that she was here with him.

"So, this is what you're doing out here so late at night?" Haku nodded with a smile.  
"Hai, I haven't been able to visit them since aunt Ai and uncle Kasei was pronounced engaged." Takara nodded a little and crouched down next to him with her hands on her knees.

"Oh, I see. Well, you don't have to sneak out on your own to visit them, Haku. I'll come with you whenever you want." Haku's eyes lit up.

"You mean it?" Takara smiled at him.

"Of course." After a minute of silence, she looked at the graves. "So what were you talking about?" Haku looked at the graves and Bento crawled into his lap for comfort. The boy smiled and began stroking the cat.

"I was telling them that obaa-san is taking care of the jewel now." She nodded a little and then looked to him.

"Do you think maybe you could tell me about your mother and father?" The boy smiled and nodded, closing his eyes and beginning to tell what he knew.

"Well, father met mother when he was doing a ceremonial blessing on her village." Takara had to ask, she had no idea what a ceremonial blessing was or anything like that.

"Ceremonial blessing?" Haku nodded.

"It's when a monk blesses the village and stays at the village master's home for three days. It's a ritual that's preformed to bring luck and happiness to the village and ward of evil spirits and help prevent sickness."

"You seem to know a lot about it." Haku nodded again.

"Father taught it to me before he died since he wanted me to take over as village master one day. But it's okay, don't feel sad about it. Father also had a brother who was a traveling monk as well but I haven't seen him since I was little." Takara smiled.

"Well, maybe we could find him and visit him sometime. Do you remember his name?" Haku nodded.

"I could never forget uncle Miroku."

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**A/N: Well … I'm terribly sorry for the wait everyone but this is really the first time I've been able to write since I moved. –Sigh- Anyways … I know that the chapter that was suppose to reveal more about Haku didn't really help in explaining anything about him and probably only created more mystery about the strange boy who held the Shikon no tama.**

**I hope this explains more about him –smile- By the way … I realize that InuYasha would probably never hit Kagome but he's hit girls before –seen it in the 4th InuYasha movie … which I own-**

**I was planning on doing a few crossovers with InuYasha like … Sailor Moon/Inu crossover, Kingdom Hearts/Inu crossover and (new idea) Ouran Host Club/Inu crossover. For those of you who don't know what the previously stated anime is … look on youtube! **

**I hope I'll be able to update on another one of my popular stories (Naruto crossover) Anywho … I would like to thank these following reviewers:**

**teiboi**

**anime angel**

**Jessica Broward**

**k4g0me**

**Merani-chan**

**lovelywitch**

**Zutara Lover**

**Wandering Hitokiri**

**AtomicKittenOnTheLoose**

**Cat**

**Lady Riku of the Western Lands**


	28. Accidentally In Love

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Accidentally In Love

Disclaimer: I can't really draw worth anything so I, obviously, don't own InuYasha

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Takara was so shocked that the only thing she could do was stare, not that Haku noticed as he yammered on about the duties of village master. Slowly, she pried her eyes away though the shock was still clearly evident.

_Uncle Miroku? But … I never heard of Miroku ever having siblings! Actually … come to think of it … I've never heard anyone say anything about Miroku's family._

"Okaa-san? Are you alright?" Haku shifted so he had a clear view of her face. Takara looked at the boy in front of her and finally noticed that he really did look like Miroku if you knew what to look for. There were defiantly some strong differences along with all the similarities but the origin of his blood was definitely there.

"Yes, I'm fine. Run back to the castle, alright? I'll catch up in a bit." The boy slowly nodded and walked a few yards before looking back and taking off again. Takara listened to him go and once she couldn't hear him anymore, she finally stood, again bowing to the graves with respect.

Turning, she slowly wandered through the broken village, trying to organize her thoughts when something unfamiliar caught her attention. Stopping, she strained her eyes at a figure that was apparently kneeling beside a hut. Frowning, she leaped towards the figure, landing beside him.

"What are you doing?" The figure who turned out to be a cute blond male with blue eyes yelped and fell backwards though he quickly gathered up his things and took off. Takara blinked a little bit, honestly not expecting that reaction and took off after him.

"Hey! Wait! Come back!" Just as she got close enough to catch him, she tripped and unconsciously grabbed the back of his shirt and they began tumbling down a hill, holding on to each other.

With a soft thump, they landed at the bottom of the hill in the middle of a firefly social party on the soft grass, the blond on top of Takara, unconsciously holding her wrists beside her head. Sighing, he closed his eyes to regain his composure and catch his breath as he pushed himself to his hands and knees, only then realizing that he was on top of the most gorgeous girl he'd ever seen and was completely captivated by her golden eyes that seemed to melt into liquid pools of gold.

Takara's breath caught as his blue eyes held hers and a blush appeared on their cheeks. His eyes … they were the most wonderful shade of blue she had ever seen and they just seemed to stand out against the moon and the starry night sky. They stayed that way for what seemed like eternity before the sounds of the area around them filtered into their ears.

The blond blushed and rose, offering a hand to help her up, only to end up catching her as a result of a sprained ankle on her part from their fall. As he held her against his chest, her sweet scent wafted up to him. She smelled wonderful … like fresh coconut and cherry blossoms in full bloom and her hair was so soft and it caressed her face like a whisper of a sweet promise. He couldn't help it so he gently buried his nose into her raven tresses, closing his eyes to swim in her scent.

Takara was blushing madly and her heart was beating wildly and the scent of the world just after a spring shower was invading her senses. Slowly, she lifted her head, looking into his eyes again. There was something so familiar about him; it was like she knew him from somewhere but where? Something flashed in her mind and she pushed the thought out of her head but the sight of his gorgeous blond hair made rethink it.

**Takara's Memory Start**

A little girl with raven black hair and dog ears was running around, laughing with her twin as they chased butterflies together. She was so focused on the butterfly that she ran right into a little boy with blond hair and gorgeous blue eyes, sending him toppling over the basket of berries he was picking and promptly squishing almost all of them.

The girl groaned a little bit, feeling the sting of her knee and sat up, beginning to cry. Upon seeing the tumble, her twin had apparently ran back to the castle for help so he didn't see what the next event.

The blond boy looked over and gently put his hands on her shoulders with a smile.

"Hey, don't cry. Please don't cry. Here, I've got something for your knee." He pulled out a shell with a special salve in it and gently applied it to the affected area and leaned forward, softly blowing on it. Sitting back up, he smiled at her.

"There, that should take the sting out." The little girl looked at the little boy in front of her and slowly smiled, launching herself at him for a fierce hug, giggling a little when she heard his yelp of surprise.

When she sat back she noticed that he was covered in berry juice and bits of squished berry.

"Oh! Your clothes! They're all dirty!" The blond boy looked down at his shirt and frowned a little.

"So they are … oh well." He shrugged and then began laughing at the little girl in front of him. She, however, didn't find it so funny. Glaring at him, she put her hands on her hips.

"What's so funny? What are you laughing at?" The boy held up a hand, trying to calm himself.

"Sorry but you've got berry juice on your cheek and it just looks funny." The little girl looked at him and began laughing as well. Soon, once they were all laughed out, the little boy took a clean part of his shirt and leaned forward, gently rubbing her cheek to take off the berry juice.

**Takara's Memory End**

Takara's eyes widened a little as she looked at him. "Kyoto?" She whispered softly, watching his eyes widen in return. He recognized her as soon as he smelt her but he chalked it up to his mind playing tricks on him.

"Takara … "

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They stared at each other in confusion and fascination that they remembered each other after eleven years before Takara threw her arms around him, sending a stronger wave of her scent up to him and he slowly put his arms around her, still supporting her.

After a minute, he crouched down and put his back to her. "Climb on; I'll give you a lift back to the castle." Takara nodded and climbed onto his back, clutching his shoulders as he hoisted her up and easily jumped back up to the path.

Gently, she rested her head on his back as her mind whirled with unanswered questions. Especially about the last time that they saw each other. They had agreed to meet strangely in the exact spot they had landed from their tumble down the hill …

**Flashback Start**

Takara waited nervously by the water, watching the sunset. Kyoto said that he had something really important to tell her. She blushed and clutched the shell necklace he had made for her that summer. She really, really liked him and he was the first boy that she hung out with aside from her twin. Looking out across the river, she sighed a little bit. He was probably running late again.

"Takara!" She blinked and turned to see the object of her affection running along the water towards her. Standing up, he stopped just in front of her, bracing himself on his knees and heaving heavily.

"Sorry I'm late." He said once he finally caught his breath and smiled at her as he wiped his brow. Takara smiled back at him.

"Its okay, Kyoto, just don't be late next time, okay?" She leaned forward and waggled her finger at him, earning a laugh from the slightly older boy who put up his hands in a defensive gesture.

"Okay, okay! I'll be on time next time!" Kyoto stopped and looked at her. "You look really pretty today, Kara." He realized what he had just said and blushed madly, along with Takara.

"So … what did you want to meet me here for?" The two blushed and then Kyoto reached out and took her hand with a smile and a blush.

"I … want to show you something first … " She smiled and nodded.

"Okay." Leading her off, they came to an old weather-worn rock wall. Kyoto pushed the vines aside and pushed open the door, letting Takara go in first and closing the door behind him.

There were fireflies everywhere and there was a little moss covered bench that looked over the little pond with some flowers sprinkling the ground. Takara looked around in awe.

"Wow! Kyo it's so pretty … " Kyoto came up beside her and nodded a little bit then, gathering up his courage, he took her hand, causing her to cast her gorgeous golden eyes on him.

"Kyo … " He took a deep breath and took the plunge.

"I-I like you, Takara! A lot! And – and … I want you to be my bride!" Takara's eyes widened and her heart thumped in her chest. Slowly, she smiled a soft smile and then placed her head on his shoulder right in the middle of his rant.

"I like you, too, Kyo." The blond boy stopped and looked at her, watching as she lifted her head and looked at him.

"You … do?" She nodded with a soft smile.

"Uh-huh and I'll be your bride, Kyo. So, someday, when we become grown-ups, we can get married and everything." He smiled back at her and pulled her close, holding her against his chest.

"I know you have to go on a trip soon but I'll meet you by the river the day you come back." Takara nodded.

"Defiantly." With that last comment, Kyoto took her hand and they headed back to the castle, only stopping once they arrived at the castle. The sun was still setting and they stood in front of each other and smiled.

"As soon as I come back I'll meet you by the river when the sun starts setting." Kyoto smiled and nodded.

"It's a deal." After a moment of hesitation, he slowly lowered his face to hers and the two shared their first kiss just as the sun completely set.

On the day that she was suppose to come back, Kyoto sat by the river until it was completely dark, a bouquet of handpicked flowers laying on the ground beside him. Standing up, he looked at the flowers and picked them up, throwing them into the river. He was thankful that no one was around to see his pained tears. He never visited that spot again after that day.

**Flashback End**

Kagome and Sesshomaru stood on the balcony of their bedroom and watched the two walk onto the castle grounds. Kagome smiled a little, enjoying the moment and Sesshomaru just watched them warily. He couldn't hear what they were saying but he just shook his head and led his mate back into their room.

After letting Takara off his back, the two stood like they had stood those eleven years ago just before the day that would change her life forever. She had her hands clasped together and was looking at the ground. She looked up when he reached out and took one of her hands and kissed the top of it before bowing and taking off.

Just as she was going to go after him, a painful twinge in her ankle reminded her that it wasn't in her best interest. So she stood there for a few minutes, hand reaching out to something that wasn't there anymore.

Bringing her hand back, she looked at it, still feeling his soft lips pressed against it.

"Kyo … "

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**A/N: **Well, how did you like it? Not much humor but lost of angst and fluffiness!! –Grin- It's not fair that everyone else gets to fall in love but Takara!!

I would like to take this time to thank:

Zutara Lover

AtomicKittenOnTheLoose

mangadreams


	29. I'll Make A Man Outta You

Chapter Twenty-Eight

I'll Make a Man Outta You

Disclaimer: Don't own InuYasha but I do own what I make the characters do -

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Kagome awoke to Sesshomaru wearing something she had never seen him wear before, a martial arts outfit. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up, rubbing her eyes again. He looked like her Sesshomaru except that for one, his long hair was in a long braid, two, he was defiantly not wearing his usual clothing and three, it looked like he had wrapped bandages over his knuckles on both of his hands. He obviously hadn't noticed his mate had woken up much less was staring at him like he had just crash landed a space ship into the castle because he began practicing a few martial arts moves.

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome voiced quietly. Although it was strange, it was making her more and more curious with each passing second.

"Oh, Kagome. Did I wake you?" Kagome shook her head and crawled out of bed, pulling on her robe.

"Why are you wearing that? And … your hair … it's braided." Sesshomaru chuckled at his mate's curiosity.

"Today is the training day for all new recruits, our children included." Kagome blinked and then narrowed her eyes.

"Surely you're not going to enlist our youngest son and poor little Haku are you?" Sesshomaru shrugged a little bit, acting a little like InuYasha.

"Their idea, darling, not mine." He leaned over and gave Kagome a peck on her lips before walking out of the room before she could get a word in edge wise. Kagome blinked a little bit before quickly getting dressed and tearing out of the room.

"Oh no you don't! Mate or not, I'm not letting you turn my last baby into some killing machine!" However, when Kagome looked around, there was pretty much no one in sight.

Sango came out of her room, carrying Hana, the infant that Takara had adopted a few months ago. Kagome blinked and then ran over to her friend.

"Sango! Why do you have Hana?" Sango looked to her friend and smiled.

"I'm looking after her while Takara trains with everyone else." Kagome eyed the other woman.

"What do you mean by 'everyone else', Sango?" Sango blinked at her friend, completely confused by Kagome's suspicious actions.

"Well, the twins, Katsu, InuYasha and his kids … even Haku, Shippo and Rin are training with the new recruits in Sesshomaru's army. I'm sure everyone will be fine, Kagome." Kagome looked at Sango, a mixture of frustration and fury rising up in her.

"That's not what I'm worried about, Sango." Kagome stated and took off towards the training grounds. Sango blinked and hurried after her friend.

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Sesshomaru walked with his hands behind his back as hundreds of humans, half demons and youkai alike, ranging from young to old were bowing before him. It only proved more interesting that his brother, his nephews, his sons and daughters were all among the new recruits.

"You are going to be worked to the very core of yourselves and there will be no 'going easy', this is not play time and this session is not a game. You will all learn to be as mysterious as the dark side of the moon. You must be swift as the coursing river, with the power of a great typhoon, with all the strength of a raging fire. I will choose my sparring partner first and then the rest of you shall follow. I will not allow failure. You're the saddest bunch I've ever met but you can bet that before we're through, I'll make a man out of you." Sesshomaru stopped pacing the front of the line and stopped his hands still behind his back.

"Katsu. You will be my partner." Shocked murmurs came from the recruits and Shippo stepped forward.

"My lord, wouldn't you rather choose a more experienced partner?" Sesshomaru looked to the boy.

"I have chosen. Get back in line, solider." Shippo nodded and stepped back in line.

"Katsu, come forward."

"Yes sir!" Katsu called, running over to his father and standing beside him. Sesshomaru looked to everyone and nodded, holding up a clawed and bandaged hand and then swiftly bringing it down.

"BEGIN!!!" Commotion broke out and everyone chose partners quickly and began sparring with each other. Kasei and Takara sparred with one another while Shippo sparred with his cousin, Kyoya and Rin sparred with her cousin, Kazune and InuYasha was sparring with Haku.

Sesshomaru turned to Katsu and Katsu turned to his father. A smirk was upon his father's features and a trickle of fear ran down his spine but he quickly hid it.

"I will not go easy on you just because you are my son." Sesshomaru stated and Katsu bowed.

"I would not have it any other way, father." Sesshomaru smirked and then lunged at his son, using his demonic speed. Katsu was having trouble dodging them and was soon hit, thrown into the cement wall. Sesshomaru stopped and a frown marred his features. He honestly expected his son to put up more of a fight. Turning his back, he didn't notice the identical evil smirk on his youngest son's face that he had worn so many times.

Katsu moved so fast that Kagome couldn't even see him and all she saw was Sesshomaru being thrown several feet. She gasped and the whole camp stopped and stared, whispers going through it quickly.

InuYasha just stood, shocked out of his skull. He hadn't been able to land anything like that on his brother until he got Tetsusaiga and even after that, he had some major trouble and yet, this kid got the better of the legendary lord just minutes after they started.

Sesshomaru got up and wiped a bit of blood from his lip. Looking at the blood on his hand, he turned and sent a piercing glare at his son and then gave a chilling smirk.

"Well done but, be warned, I will not make the same mistake again." He got into battle stance, as Katsu and everyone just watched as sparks flew between father and son. They would attack each other, matching move for move, jump back and then attack each other again.

Kagome stood, watching the entire thing, her eyes wide, her hands clasped together. On one hand, she was amazed at her youngest and on the other; she was so worried she wanted to stop the entire thing.

Finally, after both side landed severe blows, Sesshomaru could easily see that his son was having severe trouble even seeing straight. He stood tall and held up a hand as the healers came and carted him away. He chuckled to himself as he looked at the blood that stained his clothing. He certainly underestimated that boy of his. Fortunately for him, he was already healing, thanks to his youkai blood.

"Takara!" He called out. His half demon daughter ran over to him and he looked at her.

"You are now my new sparring partner. Don't disappoint me." Takara smirked, looking a lot like her father.

"You don't have to worry about that."

A little ways away, Kyoto, who had heard of the training session, as had all the other villages in the western lands, came to see what all the fuss was about. Then he saw her. Her hair was done in a braid almost identical to the lord's and she wore the same outfit as everyone else and she had a look of concentration, calculation and determination on her face.

She was truly amazing to see. She lunged at the lord and even had him retreating of all things. He pried his eyes away from her and looked at the others and recognized Kasei, Shippo, Rin, InuYasha and his sons but there were two boys that he didn't though the half demon was clearly related to the lord but, the other boy, he had no clue about.

A pained cry brought his eyes back to Takara and he gripped the stone hard as he saw her lying on the ground, unmoving. Just as the lord began walking away, he turned back. Kyo's eyes widened and he gasped a little as Takara dragged herself up from the ground. She was bleeding heavily but nearly bit the healers when they came to collect her.

"I don't give up that easily. I'm not through with you yet." For the first time in his entire life, he actually heard the lord laugh. Sure, he'd heard tales of it when he was a child but he never in his wildest imaginations, thought that he would hear it for himself.

"You've got your uncle's stubborn determination. Very well, then. Let's continue." Kyo was so shocked he nearly fell off the wall as she dodged the next attack and literally vanished and appeared behind her father, sending him skidding to a halt from her blow.

"No way … " He whispered, watching in complete awe and fascination. So far, they were evenly matched and even he could tell that the lord was beginning to tire. Then he saw it. The only weak point he'd ever seen on the lord. Apparently Takara saw it, too because she swooped in and took full advantage of it, sending the great Lord Sesshomaru face down into the dirt.

His jaw dropped and he was leaning so far forward that he nearly fell again. Some of the local village children were standing with Lady Kagome and cheered happily.

Takara turned to them and grinned, giving a thumbs-up. The victory was short lived, however as he watched as her legs suddenly gave out from under her and sent her toppling to the ground and to his utter bewilderment, it was the very Lord she had defeated that saved her from a nasty fall and he was surprised yet again at how gentle he was as he handed her off to the healers.

Everyone had stopped and watched the battles with the lord and every last one of them was surprised that they even managed to land a single blow on the lord. All except for InuYasha, of course. He knew how powerful his brother really was and he was actually pretty proud to be known as his brother, especially since he also earned all his power and had surpassed their father in strength long ago. InuYasha also knew that even though the twins and Katsu were half demons, they were also the children of Kagome, the most powerful miko alive and Sesshomaru, the most powerful demon alive.

Sesshomaru looked to Kagome and walked over to his mate. Kyo watched him and felt a little uneasy looking at the Lady, she didn't look like her normal, cheerful self. Sure enough, he watched her take a deep breath and once again, everyone on the grounds fell silent and watched as the Lady let loose her wrath on her Lord with one single word.

"DOWN! DOWN! DOWN! DOWN! DOWN! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! DOWN!!!!!!!!" Kagome turned her eyes on InuYasha and he instantly tried to get away.

"And you! You're no better than him! SIT BOY!!!!!!!!!" Both brothers were impaled in the dirt, face down and Kyo couldn't help but feel a little scared. Everyone was silent, no one dared to turn the infuriated Lady's wrath upon them.

Kagome spun on her heel and stalked away, leaving the two brothers in the dirt. The only thing scarier and more powerful than Sesshomaru was an infuriated pregnant miko.

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Later that night, Kagome was walking the grounds, just enjoying her time alone when she heard Katsu's voice. Curious as to why the twelve year old would not be in bed at this hour, she followed the voice and found him on his knees, bowing before Sesshomaru. She hid quietly and just decided to watch for now.

"Please father, I beg you. Train me to become strong like you and my brothers." Sesshomaru looked down at his son with an indifferent look upon his face but Kagome could see that he was torn between training his son and probably facing herself.

"Why do you want to become so strong, Katsu?" Sesshomaru's question surprised the boy and he looked up at his father and then looked away. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes and began walking away when the boy's voice stopped him.

"Because … because … " Sesshomaru didn't turn back but listened.

"Because what?" Katsu clenched his fists and his body shook a little.

"Because … I … I WANT TO PROTECT OKKA-SAN AND THE OTHERS! I WANT TO HELP FIGHT AGAINST OUR ENEMIES! I WANT TO BE A MAN!!" Though he didn't show it much, the shock of the boy's statement got to him. Turning around, he studied his son a little and nodded.

"Very well then. Katsu, I will train you and I will make a man out of you."

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**A/N: Well, what did you all think? Aren't I the greatest? Three chapters in one day If any Mulan fans are reading this then they must know the song that I've quoted at least twice in this chapter.**

**For those of you that don't know, it's "I'll Make A Man Out Of You". I found an AMV with this song to it (and the AMV is good, too lol) and I felt so inspired that I just HAD to write. It's slightly longer than the other chapter that I updated today and the one I did yesterday so I hope you all like it. I'm going to try to update more often again but, I'm moving again but this time I'm going back to good ol' Powell River. Back home. Yay! Anyways, my hands and my wrist is really hurting from using his crappy keyboard so I'm just going to cut it short by sending a big thank you to all of my reviewers.**

**You made this entire possible, people!**


	30. I'll Make A Man Outta You II

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I'll make a Man Outta You II

Disclaimer: To put it bluntly, I don't own InuYasha

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Sesshomaru watched his youngest son train on one of the obstacle courses that was just a little ways away from the main training grounds. He had on the same outfit as the previous day and his hair was again, in a braid. With hands behind his back, he watched the boy carefully and shifted his weight, stepping on a block that sunk into the earth, revealing a set of enchanted dummies, blocking his son's path.

Katsu looked over to his father and lunged at the dummies, slicing through them with his claws. He sweated a little and his father's words kept ringing in his mind.

"You must be swift as the coursing river, with all the force of a great typhoon, with all the strength of a raging fire, mysterious as the dark side of the moon." Katsu growled a little as he sliced his way through the rest of the dummies. Heaving heavily, he tried to stand but dropped to one knee, bracing himself against the ground with a fist.

Sesshomaru's face looked completely emotionless but inside, he was rather proud of his son.

"Get up." He ordered once and narrowed his eyes when the boy didn't move. "I said get up!" He barked, making the healers wince. InuYasha stepped up beside his brother.

"Don't you think you're being a little hard on him?" Sesshomaru didn't move or acknowledge that he heard his brother.

"He is the one who begged me to train him. I am only doing what I did to you." InuYasha scoffed a little bit, knowing full well that this hardly came close.

"Maybe but he's still a kid." Sesshomaru looked to his brother, seeing his concern for his nephew written all over his face.

"True but so were you. He may be my child but he has somehow inherited your stubborn determination." InuYasha chuckled a little bit.

"Which is a good thing, wouldn't you say?" Sesshomaru looked to his brother again, smiling a little.

"Yes. I am truly proud of all of them. By the way, did you see that boy who was sitting on the wall and watching the session yesterday?" InuYasha blinked at his brother.

"Eh? What boy?"

"Blond hair, blue eyes from the human village closet to here." InuYasha thought for a minute.

"Isn't he from …?" Sesshomaru nodded.

"Yes." InuYasha sighed a little bit.

"Do you think she's already seen him?" Sesshomaru nodded again.

"Most likely. Don't you think it's odd though, InuYasha, that he would watch from the walls instead of coming onto the grounds?" InuYasha turned his gaze back to his still training nephew and nodded a little.

"I still haven't found anything on that kid, either. Haku or whatever his name is. The one who had the jewel." Sesshomaru nodded a little.

"I believe the person to ask would be Takara." InuYasha frowned.

"What makes you think that she knows anymore about it than we do?" Sesshomaru raised a brow at the question.

"She does spend the most amount of time with the boy so, chances are that she knows more about him than we do."

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In the darkness, a figure held three jewel shards in his hand and a dark, evil laugh could be heard. Sitting against a wall, he just looked at the jewel shards.

"This is perfect." He snapped his fingers and a demon woman with black hair tied into a ponytail with a single white feather placed in it and red eyes appeared, holding a fan and bowing low. Though the spider scar on her back was gone, she still wasn't free.

"What say we go and introduce ourselves?" The person bowing before them didn't say anything and just waited for her master's command.

"That boy interests me." The figure suddenly closed his hand around the jewel shards and opened his eyes, looking directly at his servant.

"Kagura, go stir things up." Kagura nodded a little bit and vanished. As she left, flying on the feather that was once in her hair, she glared at the castle a little bit. She had enough of being someone's servant from being in Naraku's grasp and she didn't need this, but somehow, this new person who she had never seen knew all of Naraku's tricks but always put some new twist on them.

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InuTashio walked towards his two sons, now realizing how much he had truly missed. Though they were different, they were also a lot alike and he found it amazing how both of them had managed to surpass his power.

InuYasha's ear twitched at the sound of footsteps and his mood soured a little.

"What are you doing here, old man?"

"Just came to see my sons and how my grandson was doing." InuYasha was about to respond when he caught that all too familiar scent and cursed, taking off towards the castle and towards the smell.

_No way! No god damn way! Wasn't she destroyed with Naraku? I swear him and all his stupid incarnations were killed years ago! I should know, I did it myself!_

The sound of panicked screams only made him speed up more. He arrived just in time to see everyone surround Kagome and the children, including two of his own and his own mate. He heard the squalling noise of his two twins and growled ferociously, skidding to a halt in front of them and drawing Tetsusaiga.

"Kagura! What the hell are you doing here?!" The wind sorceress smirked a little.

"My how things change in time. I never thought that you would lose that stupid girl to your brother, InuYasha." She opened her fan and smirked again.

"Dance of Blades!" She shouted and InuYasha gathered everyone up, jumping out of the way just in time. While everyone was busy, Kagura spotted the very boy, alone and without protection and smirked.

Swooping down, she snatched Katsu up and nearly made her escape before Sesshomaru showed up. Fear pulsed through her at the sight of him. She couldn't see his eyes for they were covered by his bangs but he was walking towards them, all too calmly and holding an unsheathed Tokijin. Kagura gulped and paled a little bit, stopping her feather to see what the lord was up to.

"You dare invade my home and try to take my son?" He looked up and his eyes were like ice, hot ice. She had never seen him this angry before, in fact, no one had, not even Kagome.

"I'll do as I please." Came the wind sorceres' reply. Sesshomaru just held up Tokijin and uttered two of the deadliest words to ever come from him.

"Dragon Strike." Everyone gasped and a huge, blue dragon appeared from the sword and went straight for Kagura. Katsu looked at the attack and broke from Kagura's grasp, jumping the several feet from her feather, just missing being hit by the attack.

The attack just missed Kagura and impaled itself into the ground, causing a huge explosion, catching Katsu in the middle of it and sending him flying across the ground, skidding along, the rocks breaking his skin and the dirt infecting it.

Once the dust from the explosion had died down, Sesshomaru watched the spec that was Kagura barely escaping with her life. Sesshomaru sheathed Tokijin and looked to the group behind him. InuYasha and his mate were trying to calm their terrified twins and Kagome was brushing off some of the village children.

When he walked over though, he was greeted not by a grateful mate but one with tears in her eyes and an icy glare that could give his a run for its money. Before he could even get in a word edgewise, Kagome cut him off with a single hand.

"Don't even talk to me. What were you thinking? She had our SON! You could have killed our son!! And don't give me that excuse of how he has to become a man on his own or whatever. He's just a baby, Sesshomaru." Tears welled up in her eyes and her chin trembled just before she bolted away from him.

Ai came out after seeing what played out and helped Yuri collect the children, just leaving Sesshomaru and InuYasha.

InuYasha looked to his brother and sighed a little, shaking his head. "You know … I really think you're taking this too far." Patting his brother on his shoulder, he shook his head and left to check on Katsu, whom the healers were putting on a stretcher to take to the hospital wing.

Suddenly, uncontrollable anger welled up inside him and he took off towards his and Kagome's bedroom where his nose told him she defiantly was. Arriving, he found the door locked and he growled angrily, banging on the door with his fist.

"Kagome! Open this door at once!" How dare SHE yell at HIM? After he'd pretty much just saved their lives no less!

"Open this door or I'll damn well break it down!" He snarled. The door was yanked open and the sight the saw was nothing that he was expecting. He was expecting her to be angry, maybe even say that cursed word but he defiantly wasn't expecting to see his mate with red eyes, shiny nose and tear streaked cheeks. Her breath hitched and new tears formed and he reached out to touch her, to comfort her but she only shied away, slamming the door in his face.

Growling, he stalked away, smashing one of his priceless artifacts as he stalked down the hall, fully realizing that his staff was now in hiding. He walked out one of the French doors and into the garden, only to pace angrily, occasionally glancing up at the balcony that connected to his and Kagome's room.

Sighing, he slumped down on one of the benches with his head in his hands. Kagome was right …

He was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice someone come and sit next to him until they put a hand on his leg. Looking up, he half hoped that it would be Kagome but instead, he was met with Rin's sympathetic smile. He just sighed again, looking to the ground.

"It's not like you to be so reckless." Her soft voice surprised him and he looked up at her, watching as she looked to the sky, watching the clouds slowly move by before coming down to look at him again.

"I know that you're honoring Katsu's wish but, there are better and more effective ways to go about it. He's still a kid, you know. I'm not saying that you should stop training him because I think that it's good that you're helping him become stronger but, maybe, give him a little slack." He didn't say anything in response and just looked down, feeling a little guilty, something he hadn't felt for a while now.

"He really admires you, Kasei and Shippo, too. He actually considers you his hero, if you can believe that. You don't want to drive him away." Getting up from the bench, she began walking but stopped and turned to him again.

"Take some time and just go do some fun stuff with him, maybe teach him about herbs or something. He wants to learn but just remember to make it fun, that way you can enjoy it and you bond. You've missed out on the first eleven years of his life so why not make the next eleven really something special to remember?" With that, she turned back and headed into the castle.

After a while, Sesshomaru finally stood and headed to his and Kagome's room. Just as he was lifting his hand to knock, the door opened, revealing Kagome carrying some of her clothes and a few other of her things.

She just ignored him and walked by, into another room just down the hall, closing and locking the door behind her. Sesshomaru watched this and sighed, all thoughts of apologizing and making things right gone right out the window.

Then dinner came to his mind and he was filled with renewed hope. Kagome would have to come down for dinner and then he would make things right with his mate again!

Filled with new hope, he went and changed for dinner, arriving in the hall shortly after.

While he watched everyone filter in, he noticed that one seat remained empty, even through dinner; even Katsu who was covered in bandages was at dinner. Sighing a little, he stood from his chair and excused himself from the table, going up to his and Kagome's chambers.

Later that night, he had one hell of a time getting to sleep. Kagome's scent was everywhere in the room and it only kept reminding him of how much he'd messed up. He had even messed up even more than his brother in the time that they traveled together and that meant that he REALLY messed up.

Sighing, he rolled over and slowly, his lids came over his golden orbs and he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

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Days later, Kagome was still giving him the cold shoulder and it was just making him a little depressed. He didn't know what to do. He'd never felt this helpless before and he was completely at a loss of how to go about even approaching her. Every time he tried, she had just brushed him off and, in truth, it should be infuriating him but it was just making him depressed. A knock on the door brought him from his thoughts and he turned, seeing Katsu in his training outfit.

"Father? Are we training today?" Sesshomaru looked at his youngest son and Rin's words rang through his ears. With a smile, he walked over, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Not today. Today, we are going to go for a walk and I'll show you some places I used to go when I was your age." This really seemed to catch his son's interest.

"Really? You mean it? Just you and me?" Sesshomaru smiled and nodded.

"Yes. Just you and me. Now, go get changed and I'll meet you outside." Katsu nodded and took off. Little did either of them know that Kagome was just about to step outside when she heard their little discussion. A smile crept onto her cheeks and she leaned against the door.

Maybe he was beginning to understand. That's all she wanted. She didn't want any apologies or anything like that, she just wanted him to figure it out on his own and it seemed like he was beginning to do just that.

In all honesty, she had been missing the feel of his arms around her and his tender kisses and their little nicknames that they would call each other just before falling asleep at night.

Opening the door, she saw Sesshomaru stop and turn around, a look of surprise in his eyes. Just as he was going to utter her name, Kagome ran, full speed and launched herself into his arms, her own arms going around his waist. She felt his arms go around her and she looked up with a smile. He opened his mouth to speak but she silenced him by putting a finger softly on his lips.

Smiling still, she stood on tip toe, bringing her lips to his for a moment before letting him go and pushing him towards the stairs. Sesshomaru looked at her with a slightly confused expression but slowly smiled, heading down the stairs, smiling and shaking his head slightly.

That girl of his … she was truly something else. All this time, she hadn't wanted him to apologize, just for him to understand just what Rin had told him. Katsu was still a kid, after all and why should he have to miss out on what he had missed out on?

Seeing his son turn and smile broadly as he waved, Sesshomaru's smiled softened. She sure was something else alright. Something really special.

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**A/N: Well, how did you like that chapter? I hope there was enough fluff in there for you all –smile- I unfortunately have to say that this will probably be the last chapter for a while since I'm moving again and I won't really have access to a computer. Well, not regularly. I might, though! **

**Anyways, I've updated a total of three times (for this story) in about two days so that's not so bad!**

**I would like to thank:**

**AtomicKittenOnTheLoose**

**mangadreams**

**shikonprincess15**

**Zutara Lover**

**Wandering Hitokiri**


	31. A Little Piece of Heaven

Chapter Thirty

A Little Piece of Heaven

**Disclaimer: I do own InuYasha!! –Looks around- Oh … I guess it was just a dream –sigh- Well then … I don't own InuYasha but ya don't have to keep reminding me!**

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Takara sighed a little bit as she watched Ai get fitted for her wedding kimono for the millionth time. She was really happy for her but, honestly, how many times do you really need to be fitted for the same thing? Even though it was now being made to accommodate her growing stomach.

From her sitting position on a stool, she put her chin in her hands, watching Ai blush a little as she stood on the pedestal, looking at herself in the mirror. With another bored sigh, Takara looked out the large window and let her mind wander a little bit. Soon, she found herself thinking of the very person whom she had been trying not to think about.

She kept replaying that last moment with Kyoto. How the sun was setting the last time she saw him when they were kids and how softly he kissed her hand just a few nights ago.

She had heard that he was at the castle when she was training a couple days ago but … she hadn't seen him since the night she sprained her ankle. She kept picturing his face in her mind and thinking about how much he really had grown up since she had been gone.

His features had soften but had become more defined and manly and he'd still kept his blond hair short and his eyes … oh his eyes … they'd darkened over time and seem to hold a deep wound.

She looked over at Ai again and wondered if she was the reason for such deep sadness in his gorgeous eyes. She looked out the window again, sadness filling her. She wanted to see him again. She wanted to explain. She hadn't meant not to come back but, what could she really have done? The well didn't work so there was no way of getting back to him or anything like that.

'I want you to be my bride!!' The young Kyoto's voice rang through her head and Takara sighed inwardly.

'I want to be your bride, Kyo. I'm sorry that we never got the chance.' She thought with more sadness. What chance did they have now? With her luck, he already had his little piece of heaven in the form of a beautiful wife.

Besides, she had two kids now. Who in their right mind would want someone that comes in a package? 'No one, stupid.' She thought, answering her own question.

Her eyes shifted back to Ai and she saddened more. She looked so pretty and seemed so incredibly happy. Why couldn't that happen to her? What was so wrong with her that she couldn't have her own little piece of heaven? Her brother, her twin, had found Ai. True, this had all been arranged but they were already starting to fall in love before they even knew of this.

Closing her eyes, she reflected a little. Since coming here, her life seemed like some sort of story. Not the fluffy, sweet ones that she would hear about from her mother when she was a child. So far, this one didn't have a happy ending.

The friends she had made here, outside of family had been brutally murdered by some blood-thirsty demon and left their newborn daughter orphaned at the tender age of not even an hour old. They didn't even have an hour to get to know their little Hana.

And what about Haku? His family was brutally murdered as well and they entrusted him with such a powerful trinket. Takara couldn't figure out which was worse; losing your parents after you've known them and have memories of them or losing them before you even know what parents are.

Opening her eyes, she was met with dark blue eyes. Caught completely by surprise, Takara yelped and promptly fell off her seat and slightly painfully onto the floor.

Ai giggled a little bit and held up her hands in an apology. "Sorry!! You just looked so sad!" Takara groaned a little, rubbing her sore backside and stood up with Ai's help.

"That's okay; I was just lost in thought." Ai nodded a little.

"So, what were you thinking about? A boy maybe? A special boy?" Ai gave her sister in-law and knowing grin and Takara blushed madly.

"Wh-what gave you that idea?" Ai smiled and put her hands behind her back.

"Well, normally, when a young girl looks as sad as you just did, it's usually because of a boy. So, who is it?" Takara looked down at the floor, still blushing a little.

"He's … a childhood friend I guess is what you would call him." Ai nodded a little.

"He wouldn't be that cute boy from the training day, would he?" Takara's eyes snapped to the cocky-looking wolf demon and blushed, once again, finding the floor very interesting.

"Maybe … " Ai smiled and took a seat on the loveseat that was positioned by the window and patted the spot next to her. Just as the two females were getting comfortable, Kasei walked in, knocking as he opened the door.

"Well, don't you look absolutely fabulous!" Walking over to his fiancé, he took the blushing female into his arms.

Ai giggled a little bit. "You flatter me."

Kasei grinned. "But of course. So, what were you up to just now? You two looked awfully friendly on the couch." Ai smiled and looked to where Takara was sitting and sighed, seeing as how the half demon was clearly not there anymore.

"Well, we were going to have a little girl chat. She looked so sad today, Kasei. I've never seen such sadness on her face before. I swear she was going to burst into tears any second." Kasei frowned, becoming thoughtful. He had never heard of his twin sister ever looking like that. She really never was one to let others see her emotions, especially going through elementary and middle school.

"That is certainly a problem. I've never heard of her acting or looking like that and I've never seen it myself. She's one that likes to mask what she's feeling, much like dad, I suppose." Ai nodded. That sounded almost exactly like the lord.

"I would assume that's where she gets it from." Kasei nodded again.

"Though were twins and we're similar in a lot of ways, that's where we really differ." Ai sighed and looked to the window in which the said hanyou escaped through.

"I'm worried about her."

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Takara sighed and walked down a random path, her hands in her pockets and her eyes watching the ground. Kyoto kept flashing through her mind and it was making her rather depressed.

What she wouldn't give to just be able to explain things to him but … he made it clear that he didn't want anything to do with her when she came across him a couple days ago.

**Takara's Flashback Start**

Takara stood at the spot where they had met again just a few days prior and sighed, looking out at the water.

Kyoto was walking by, carrying a basket of herbs for the village when he noticed someone down the hill. Frowning a little, he set down the basket and slid down the slick grass. It wasn't until the person turned around did he realize who it was.

Golden eyes stared into blue ones and before she knew it, he was bowing to her. A little confused, she stepped back a little.

"Kyo … what are you doing? Why are you bowing? It's just me." He didn't stand up for a while and for a while, she didn't think he was going to answer her. Sure enough, though, when he straightened, an unreadable look was in his eyes.

"It is required for one such as myself to bow and show respect to one such as yourself, princess." Takara blinked a little, a little hurt by his cold tone.

"P-princess? But … why … I … " Takara trailed off, clutching her hands together to her chest as she looked to the ground. She didn't know what to say …

Looking up again, she saw he was about to leave and she quickly grabbed his wrist, making him stop.

"Just listen to me, Kyo. I'm sorry. I had every intention of coming back but – " Kyo's voice cut her off.

"You should head back to the castle, princess." Takara's eyes widened.

"But, Kyo, I – " He cut her off again.

"Just go, okay?! You shouldn't have to bother yourself with someone like me!" Tears filled her eyes at his words and she tried, once again, to get him to listen to her but failed as before.

"I said go!!" Turning around, he yanked his wrist out of her grasp and pushed her to the ground, bounding up the hill, picking up his basket and taking off.

The last words she could make out were, "Its better this way."

**Takara's Flashback End**

Not watching her step, she tripped over a tree root and ended up falling on her face. Slowly pushing herself up, she just sat on the ground, one hand on the ground and one clutched to her chest as her body shook with repressed sobs. Tears began streaming down her cheeks, wetting the ground beneath her.

'Kyo … ' She thought, pain filling her. 'I'm sorry … I'm so, so … sorry …'

"I'm … so … sorry …" With those quietly uttered words, she took off running as fast as she could through the thick forest, her kimono getting ripped and branches slapping her exposed face and skin, creating painful cuts but she didn't care. She just ran and ran and ran. She ran until she finally collapsed, breathing hard and shaking still.

Pushing herself to her hands and knees, her hands turned to fists and she just sobbed.

"I'M SORRY OKAY?! I'M SORRY! I ALWAYS WANTED TO COME BACK!! I NEVER FORGOT YOU!! I NEVER MEANT TO LEAVE! IT WASN'T MY FAULT!! IT WASN'T … my fault … it wasn't … it wasn't … I … I … always … loved you … Kyoto … I … I love you …" She collapsed in a crying fit and curled up into a ball, clutching her knees to her chest, squeezing her eyes, trying to shut out the unbearable pain.

Later, she was just staring off into space, not even noticing as it begun to rain. She just lay on the grassy cliff, trying to forget herself, forget her pain, and forget him. With a sigh, she picked herself up off the ground, ignoring the icy rain that pleated and beat her. Slowly, she dragged herself back towards the castle, not even caring that she had been gone all day and it was now working its way into early morning.

Who really cares, anyways? Why did it matter if she was out all night? So what if some demon attacked her? Big deal. Nothing mattered to her at that moment, all she truly wished to do was just forget.

Tripping, she again landed in the dirt but this time it had turned into mud. Pushing herself up again, her eyes came upon a sharp rock. Picking it up, she examined it and pricked her finger. Looking to her arm, she remembered her old habit and then pushed her kimono sleeve up and carved 'so alone' deep into her arm, not caring how badly it bled. She knew very well that she could die if she lost too much blood but she didn't care, in fact, she welcomed it.

Tossing the rock away, she just continued on her journey as the blood mixed with the rain and ran down her arm and dripped off her fingers.

By the time the castle came into view, Takara was feeling dizzy and really lightheaded and her vision was fading fast. Dropping to her knees, she used one hand to brace herself against the ground and she held her head with the other, gritting her teeth against crying more.

The arm bracing her shook violently and threatened to give out and soon it did, leaving her laying in the mud. Soon, she closed her eyes and drifted into welcomed peace.

Yumi and InuYasha were taking the twins out to splash in some puddles and putting the raingear Kagome had given them to good use when Yumi noticed Takara laying in the mud.

"Oh my God … InuYasha!" InuYasha looked over and instantly spotted the girl. Cursing a little, he ran over and rolled her over, not really being able to tell the extent of the damage because of all the dirt but the one thing he did notice was the certain wound on her arm.

"Damn it. What the hell is wrong with you, kid?" Yumi was crouching beside her mate, worry written all over her.

"Do you think she's okay?" InuYasha hefted the girl into his arms.

"She will be but we have to get her inside." Yumi nodded and collected the twins, ignoring their protests, following InuYasha into the castle.

... … … …… … … … … … … … … … … … … … ... … … …… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Kagome and Sesshomaru stood outside the healing room that Takara was in, waiting to be let in. Sesshomaru had his arm around Kagome, holding her against his chest and stroking her hair with his other hand to soothe her nerves.

Soon, the door opened and the healer stepped out, patting his brow a little. Sesshomaru looked to him and the healer nodded.

"She has a lot of little cuts and she lost a lot of blood. She's probably going to have a cold and the arm will take longer to heal since it required stitching up." Sesshomaru nodded and opened the door, letting Kagome go in first.

Kagome sat on the edge of the bed, taking her daughter's hand that was closest to her and brushing her black bangs from her eyes.

"Takara, what's gotten into you?" She whispered softly. She spotted the heavily bandaged arm and could faintly make out what was on there and sighed, feeling Sesshomaru place a comforting hand on her shoulder and she placed one on top of his.

Sesshomaru gave Kagome's a gentle squeeze and she got up, following him out of the room. Kagome paused in the doorway, looking back at her daughter before stepping out, closing it behind her.

After listening to their footsteps fade away, Takara opened her eyes and sighed a little bit, Kyoto coming to her mind and once again, her eyes filled with new tears. Taking the pillow from underneath her head, she pressed it against her face, stifling the sobs that came.

Putting the pillow back, she looked up at the ceiling and then held up the hand that he had kissed the night they had been reunited. Sighing, she placed her hand on her stomach and turned to look across the room, watching the rain come down. Silently she wondered why it always seemed to rain when she was sad.

Tears swam in her eyes and she clenched her fists, looking to the ceiling again. 'Kyo … I want to see you. I want to make things right. I don't want us to be like this. I don't want this pain anymore. I want to be happy. I want my little piece of heaven.'

Sighing a little, she just closed her eyes. She was really tired and she didn't want to cry anymore. After a couple minutes, she fell into a dreamless sleep, having many visitors throughout the night.

The following morning, Takara squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to wake up. She didn't feel when she was sleeping but a twinge of pain on her arm brought her around and she looked at it. Some blood had seeped through the bandages but it was just enough to make out the words. Lightly, she traced her fingers over it but was pulled away from her thoughts when the door opened. She closed her eyes, pretending to be sleeping, not wanting to talk to anyone at the moment.

"You always were such a terrible faker." Came a familiar voice. Takara opened her eyes to her twin standing above her with a smile. She didn't smile back or say anything, just looked at him. He'd become really happy as of late, almost overly happy.

Kasei just took a seat in a chair that someone had obviously placed there sometime last night. He reached over and rubbed one of her ears like he used to do when they were kids.

"You know … everyone is really worried about you, especially mom. Hell, even Uncle InuYasha is worried about you." Takara's eyes widened a little but she just looked away from her twin.

"I hope you're not starting that up again." Kasei lightly tapped on her bandaged arm. Takara took her arm and held it against her, still not talking or making eye contact. She heard him sigh and stand from the chair.

"Well, just get better soon, alright?" With that, he left the room. She had a couple more visitors but she didn't talk to any of them, not even Haku and by the time dinner rolled around, she was sitting up in the bed, eating a specially prepared meal while she read a manga that was in her lap. A few people came by after dinner but she didn't talk to any of them again. She didn't know why she wasn't talking to anyone, it wasn't like she forgot or anything, she just didn't feel like talking to anyone.

Later that night, she was just sitting in the bed, looking at the nice view of the moon and the night sky she got from where she was. With a bit of a sigh, she just laid down and rolled to her side so her back was to the window and soon fell asleep.

That day, she was dressed and discharged from the hospital wing. Wearing a soft pink kimono, she just wandered the gardens almost lifelessly. Kasei watched his twin sister and sighed a little bit, taking off to the human village where he learned that Kyoto lived.

Upon arriving, as much as he just wanted to grab the nearest person and order them to take him to Kyoto, he figured a calmer approach would work best. He spotted a shop keeper and walked up with a smile.

"Excuse me but would you know where I could find a boy named Kyoto?" The shopkeeper looked at him and blinked a little.

"Eh? Kyoto, you say? Why, you can probably find him in the fields at this time of day." Kasei nodded and headed there. Finding him farther away from the group, he stepped up behind him.

Kyoto noticed another shadow and stood up, coming face to face with a very angry half demon. He tried to keep his calm and smiled at the person in front of him.

"Oh, hello there. Are you looking for someone?" Kasei glared at him.

"I guess you can say that." He stated right before landing a solid punch, knocking him to the ground. Kyoto winced and looked up at the half demon that was clearly restraining himself. With a growl, Kasei pointed at him, causing the boy to flinch a little.

"Does she mean nothing to you?! How could you stoop so low and just play around with her emotions?! Did you even give her a chance to explain?!" Kyo blinked a little, slightly confused.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" He yelped a little when Kasei grabbed the front of his shirt and brought him just inches away from his face.

"I'm talking about my sister, you bastard!!" Kyo blinked. Sister? Then he spotted the ears and it hit him. Takara …

Kasei saw the realization in his eyes and shook him a little. "Well? What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Kyo looked away from the angry brother, sadness filling him.

"It's for the best. For both of us." Kasei growled violently.

"That's the biggest bunch of bullshit I've ever heard." Kyo looked at him again.

"It is! She's a princess and I'm some lowly commoner. She'll be happier for it in the end." Kasei growled again and began dragging him away, ignoring his protests and eventually dragged him to a spot where they could watch Takara without being noticed.

Throwing him down on the ground, Kasei watched his sister kneel down in the garden and push her sleeve up, looking at her wound before setting her hands in her lap, just staring at the flowers in front of her.

"Does that look happy to you?" Kasei demanded, looking to the other male, feeling somewhat calmer. Kyo first noticed how beautiful she looked in the pink and white kimono and with the pink ribbon tied into her black hair and then he noticed just how miserable she looked.

Takara squeezed her hands together before bowing her head so her hair hid her face though her body rocked with barely suppressed sobs. Slowly, she lifted her face towards the sunlight, her tears sparkling as they ran down her cheeks and fell to the ground.

"I … never knew. But … she left me!" Kasei hit him over the head with a growl.

"You idiot! Do you think she'd be this miserable if she left INTENTIONALLY? In case you didn't know, she couldn't come back. There's a well that can transport us 500 years into the future and that's where our mother is from. The last day you saw her was the day before we went with our mother to her time but somehow, we weren't able to come back until just a couple months ago. She didn't leave you on purpose, you idiot." Kyo watched Takara as Kasei explained and hung his head, feeling completely guilty.

Kasei whacked him again. "Don't just sit there, feeling sorry for yourself. Go over there." Rising, he rubbed his head a little and walked over, thinking silently to himself, glaring at Kasei a little.

'Sheesh … he didn't have to be so violent. That really hurt and he's a little scary … '

He stopped and cleared his throat, watching one of Takara's black dog ears that he was always so fond of swivel to the sound and then watched as her eyes widened as she turned to look at him.

Kyo smiled a little, rubbing the back of his head, unsure of what to say. "Um, hey."

In the background, still spying on them, he smacked a hand to his face. "That's all he can say is 'hey'?! He's more of an idiot than I thought!" He whispered to himself.

Takara's eyes were fixed on him and she was clutching her hands to her chest. She could hear him, see him and smell him but … what if it was all a cruel dream?

"K-Kyo … you're … here … but … why?" Kyo chuckled nervously. Those eyes of hers were really unnerving him.

"Yeah … well … about that …" He paused and sighed a little, smiling at her softly. "You wanna go for a walk or something?" Takara nodded a little and followed him.

Soon, they were walking the path she had walked the previous day. Holding her hands together in front of her, she looked at the ground. She was so scared. What if this was just some sick joke or something? She wasn't sure if she could live through it if it was.

"Your … brother told me … you know … about the well and all that." She looked at him and then looked away again, smiling a little. She would have to remember to be extra nice to him from now on.

They soon came to the top of the hill of where everything started for them. Kyo started down the hill and stopped, turning back and then holding out a hand for Takara.

Slowly, she reached out and put her hand in his. He helped her down the hill and noticed the sun was setting. Just as he came to the bottom of the hill, Takara tripped over her kimono and Kyo turned around just in time to catch her.

Looking down, she was clutching his shirt tightly and he smiled a little, putting his arms around her.

"I'm sorry. I never knew. I'm sorry for everything. I never meant to hurt you. I hope we can start over because … I … I love you, Kara. I have for years." Takara's eyes filled with tears again and she buried her face in his chest.

"I love you, too …" Kyo smiled and pulled away a little bit, stepping back and bowing low. Takara smiled a little bit, watching him.

"Princess, will you do me the honor of becoming my bride?" Takara smiled and nodded a little and nodded.

"I will." Kyo smiled and drew her to him again, kissing her for the first time.

... … … …… … … … … … … … … … … … … …... … … …… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

**A/N: So … I made this chapter extra long and I realize there wasn't a lot of humor in here but rather a lot of angst lol. I hope everyone likes it and by the way … Kasei and Ai's wedding is coming up soon! In this next chapter or the one after that. I wanted to focus on the love between Takara and Kyoto because … well … because they're my favorite couple besides Kagome and Sesshy –grin-**

**And, yes, I realized I put a twist on the last chapter. Bet none of ya'll were expecting to Kagura again. Though Naraku's not back, he's still dead. I'm not THAT cruel. Well … maybe I am but he's still dead so who's this mystery guy? You'll have to wait and see.**

**The reason for these two being one of my favorite couples is because their love started when they were just kids so what started off as childhood friends blossomed into sweet love. And plus, I just love toying with the emotions of the characters. I also love how pissed off Kasei got –laugh-**

**I know that he acted a lot like InuYasha but, hey, InuYasha is his uncle after all –grin- By the way … I pulled an all-nighter while writing this. Whoop! Go me!!**

**Anywho … I don't have any new reviews as of yet and I'm not sure whether or not I'm going to post this today or not … Hmm … sure why not!! Just don't expect another update anytime soon –grin-**


	32. Right Here Right Now

Chapter Thirty-One

Right Here, Right Now

**Disclaimer:**** Don't own InuYasha … Hey … I got an idea! Someone can buy InuYasha off of Rumiko Takashi and give it to me for Christmas! No? Oh well … I had to try**

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Everyone was bustling and running around when Takara came into the castle that morning after being gone all night. She watched a few servants scurry across the marble floors carrying large bouquets of flowers and others carrying other things. Blinking, she walked further into the room, not even noticing a certain fox demon carrying many things rushing her way.

Turning, her eyes widened and she let out a yelp just as they collided, each landing on the floor. Takara rubbed her backside painfully, looking at Shippo.

"Shippo, what's going on? What's with all the flowers?" Shippo sighed, shaking his head and getting up before offering a hand to help her up.

"How can you not remember? Kasei is getting married today and mother is going crazy looking for you since you're in the wedding party, in case you don't remember." It took her all of two seconds for her memory to kick into gear and she yelped again.

"That's right! Crap!! Sorry, Shippo! See ya!" Shippo just sighed again, picking up his parcels that were still on the floor.

Takara burst into the room where she was suppose to be getting ready for her spot in the wedding, all heads turning to her. She was going to get an earful that much she knew.

"Takara! Where were you?! You were supposed to be here an hour ago!" Kagome cut off her daughter's reply and shook her head.

"Save it for later!" With a quick snap of her fingers, Takara was undressed and flung into almost icy bathwater.

"This water is freezing!!" She exclaimed when she resurfaced and just before three different servants went to work scrubbing and prepping her.

"It would have been warm if you were on time." Takara just shivered for a response and soon, she was lifted out and dried and fluffed and then dressed and painted and crimped and rolled and curled.

Then she was thrown into the fanciest kimono she'd ever been in. She had just enough time to look at the soft pink and green with a very pretty silver Inu youkai stitched into it. Gently running her fingers over the fancy work, she smiled before having her ears yanked and brushed.

She winced but watched her mother walk around the room, inspecting everything and snapping at a few of the servants. With a sigh, Takara just closed her eyes, fatigue coming over her.

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Down a flight of stairs and down the hall, is where Sesshomaru, Kasei, Shippo, Haku, InuYasha, InuTashio and Katsu all stood in silence. It was obvious that the boy was nervous though InuTashio couldn't figure why.

"Father … "The young hanyou began, earning a smile from Sesshomaru. He just patted his son's shoulder a little.

"You'll be fine, Kasei." InuTashio nodded in agreement.

"I don't see why not. You're going to be mated to the woman you love and she is carrying your child." All heads turned to the oldest demon and he shrugged, his long silver braid moving slightly with the movement. Sesshomaru eyed him suspiciously.

"Father, I do believe that was none of your business. How did you find out, anyway?"

"Keh, the old man was probably snooping around, trying to sniff out someone for himself." Both Sesshomaru and InuTashio just ignored the older hanyou.

"I was only passing through on my way to breakfast when I caught the scent of a pregnant female, though it was different from Kagome's scent." This threw both brothers for a loop.

"Damn it, Sesshomaru! What the hell is Kagome to you?! Some kind of baby-making machine?!" Sesshomaru growled at his brother.

"Control yourself, InuYasha. This is my son's mating day and not even you will ruin it." He then turned his attention to his father. "Father, do you mean to say that you know that both Kagome and Ai are carrying?"

InuTashio just shrugged again, smirking at his sons and grandson. "I suppose you'll have to ask them yourselves. By the way, InuYasha, you may want to question your mate on the matter as well." The only male in the room that was not completely flabbergasted was Haku and Katsu and they were just plainly confused but, hey, they were adults, who could figure them out?

"Ah, I believe that we should go and take our places, the priest is ready." Shippo stated, poking his head in the room. Like the rest of them, he was decked out in formal wear, his outfit matching every else's, except Kasei who was wearing a traditional male mating kimono.

Sesshomaru nodded and moved towards the door, the rest following his lead and making their way outside. Once they reached outside, they all lined up according to the plans that they learned in the many practice runs.

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The music started and the grand doors opened, followed by two of little girls from a nearby village. After the two little ones, Rin stepped out and began her walk, followed by Takara then Kagome. Once they had all reached the front, the music changed and Ai appeared in the most beautiful wedding kimono that most had ever seen and beside her, Kouga was dressed in traditional wolf tribe wedding garb.

Kouga reached over and gently patted his daughter's hand, easily smelling her nervousness. Ai looked over and smiled at him softly, some of her butterflies flying away when she saw him smile back.

Slowly she reached the front and Kouga lifted the veil from his daughter's face. Gently drawing her into his arms, he had to refrain from crying. His baby, his first born was all grown up and was being mated.

"You'll be fine. You'll be great parents." Ai's eyes widened as she looked at her father, who only chuckled, tapping his nose. Ai smiled and hugged him again before turning and taking Kasei's hand.

Ai barely heard the priest though she somehow managed to repeat after him and do everything that was required of her at the moment on near complete autopilot. All she could do was stare into Kasei's chocolate brown eyes, near tears of happiness the entire time.

"I love you." Kasei told her, his voice just below a whisper. Ai smiled and whispered,

"I love you, too."

"You may now condense with the marking process." The priest told them with a smile. Ai smiled brightly, her dark blue eyes sparkling with joy and excitement as she tilted her head back. Kasei smiled and leaned forward, bracing himself gently and baring his fangs for a minute before biting down, his silver dog ear swiveling to catch Ai's quiet and barely audible groan of passion. He gently licked the mark he had just made before stepping back and tilting his head, allowing Ai access to do the same.

Once they were both marked, everyone that was watching erupted into loud cheers and congratulations. Ai and Kasei faced everyone with fresh marks and their hands joined. Ai leaned toward him with a smile, now was the perfect time.

"You're going to be a father." She told him quietly, watching his silver head whip around and his chocolate eyes widen with the silent question. Ai's dark blue eyes sparkled and she nodded.

Kasei couldn't control himself. He pulled Ai to his chest and spun her around before setting her down and crushing his lips down upon hers in sheer joy. The kiss ended just in time because they were quickly pushed inside for the reception.

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Kasei stopped in awe, looking around the grand ballroom in which he'd only ever been in once before at the party in which his father announced that him and Ai were going to be mated. It was decorated with tons of things that resembled modern time things like balloons and streamers and other such things.

Ai tugged on his hand and smiled. Kasei quickly smiled back and they took their position at the top of the stairs. Three hard and loud taps on the floor with some kind of staff drew everyone's attention to them.

"Introducing the newly mated and future lord of the Western lands, Master Kasei and Lady Ai." The crowd erupted again with clapping and cheers as they descended the stairs and stopped in the centre of the room.

"They will now share the first dance with the Lord and Lady of the Western lands." The music started and Kasei bowed low, a smile playing on his lips and he extended his hand.

"May I have this dance, my lady?" Ai smiled back and put her hand in his, loving the feeling of his fingers wrapping around her hand.

"You may, my lord." Soon, they began moving to the music, just staring in each other's eyes, basking in the moment.

Kagome looked over from her spot with Sesshomaru and smiled. "They look so good together. I'm so glad this worked out ..." Happy tears stung Kagome's eyes and Sesshomaru sighed a little. His nose was destined to a night with tears.

However, following his mate's gaze, he looked over at his son and now daughter-in-law and a smile came to his lips. She was right, as she usually was. He had never seen his son happier and he could practically feel the love radiating off the young couple.

"We did good." He said quietly, raising a brow when Kagome stared at him. True, he didn't usually admit that his mate had been right but tonight, he was willing to make an exception.

Kagome nodded with a smile. "Yes, yes we did." She looked at the other couples and spotted Takara and Kyoto.

"Oh, look, Sesshomaru. Takara and that sweet young man Kyoto. My, how he's grown … "Sesshomaru followed his mate's gaze again and nearly groaned. More money. He knew that those two were going to cost him even more money.

Catching his mate's light frown, he couldn't help but chuckle and he pressed a light kiss to her forehead.

"Alright, Kagome, you win. I won't think of anything concerning money or anything tonight. I'll just enjoy the night, with you, with our children and future grandchildren."

Kagome grinned happily. "I'm so glad that we see eye to eye now."

Sesshomaru raised a brow at her expression. "If I'm not mistaken, you, my love, are much shorter than I." He had to bite back at hearty laugh at her expression.

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Now he did laugh.

"My mate, I know not of what you are speaking of." Kagome stuck her tongue out at him but couldn't fight off the grin, letting on that she was quite aware that he was joking.

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Kagome laughed, showing off whatever moves she still remembered from various school dances back in her time. She heard various shouts and hollers as she moved around the dance floor with her daughters and new daughter-in-law.

"Kagome-sama, where did you learn those moves?" Ai asked, obviously shouting over the loud music. Kagome shook her head, taking Ai's hands again.

"It's just Kagome or even mom now, Ai!" Ai laughed and nodded, moving in time with her new mother-in-law. Takara shoved the women aside and grinned.

"That is SO not dancing! I'll show you want dancing really is!" The music changed and there was a spot light on her. Slowly she began moving and all the guys, demon and human alike stopped and stared, some were even beginning to drool. She hiked her kimono up and kicked her shoes off, showing her shapely legs, winking and grinning as she spun and moved around.

Soon, nearly every male in the room was hollering and drooling and shoving each other to get a better look at the Lord's smoking sexy daughter. Sesshomaru turned to Kagome, an eyebrow rose.

"Hey, don't look at me! I didn't teach her that! She must have learned it at school!" Sesshomaru watched his daughter for a bit more.

"It's a good thing she doesn't still go to that 'school' of yours." Kagome sweat dropped a little.

"She is still just a teenager you know." Sesshomaru only frowned slightly and sighed a relieved sigh when the dance was over. He wasn't sure how much longer any of the males could hold out against his daughter's obvious sex appeal. It didn't help that she would be in heat soon, either.

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**A/N:**** Alrighty … I'm super sorry for this super delayed update!! I finally have regular computer access but I do have to find another job so yeah, at least I'll be updating sooner . I know this is a rather short chapter but I was kind of running out of things to write.**

**I based this chapter on what I know about Western weddings so if you haven't already figured that out then you'll know by the time you read this.**

**Kasei and Ai are going to be going on their honeymoon! Whoo! I know I still haven't revealed much about Haku or even why InuTashio is back from the dead. I also realize that Tensaiga probably couldn't have resurrected InuTashio since him being dead for such a long time and all but hey, there are some major holes in the info about the sword and I figured that if Sounga (if you haven't seen the 4****th**** InuYasha movie then you'll probably have no idea what I'm talking about) can revive Takimaru then I don't see why Tensaiga couldn't revive InuTashio. It is the sword of Heaven after all.**

**Alrighty!! Replies and Thank yous! If I have already replied to you in a previous chapter, well, I don't know, just live with my memory gap :P**

**Wandering Hitokiri**** – That image is both scary and absolutely hilarious!! Kagome is pretty scary when she's hormonal xD**

**shikonprincess15**** – Yeah, I love it when mr Fluffy is all soft and sweet! I try to at least keep him away from the sickenly soft and stuff.**

**Twilight-Writer23**** – You do have a point but hey, they were just kids and frogs are pretty tricky!**

**Umi no Kaiso**** – The way I see it, as long as his little girl is happy then he'll be okay with it. Soon as he makes her cry though … well … it won't be pretty**

**SakuraAngel746**** – Awe … just almost? Haha … well I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!**

**Thank Yous**

**Kay12693**

**xXnarutofan22Xx**

**miroku's girlfriend**

**Sesshomaru'sLover911**


	33. Uncle Miroku!

**Chapter Thirty-****Two**

**Uncle Miroku?!**

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Kasei groaned lightly as the morning sun hit his closed lids and he shifted, pulling the covers over his head, snuggling closer to his new mate. Ai smiled in her sleep, snuggling closer as well. Kasei cracked an eye when he heard the familiar cry coming from his sister's room and growled, shoving his head underneath his pillow. He didn't know how Ai could sleep as soundly as she did even though her hearing was better than his.

The sound of someone being sick in the toilet reached his ears and he sighed, rolling over and opening his eyes, now completely awake. There was no way that he was going to get any more sleep. With another sigh, he heaved himself out of the warm and cozy bed, heading towards his personal bathroom.

Sesshomaru opened his eyes slowly and looked over at his currently showing pregnant mate. She was due at the healers today to check on how the pup was developing. He could smell that everything was alright but occasionally, he would hear not just two but three heartbeats coming from his mate. He passed it off as his ears playing tricks on him but he made a mental note to speak to the healer.

Sesshomaru smiled and placed a kiss on the mark he'd made all those years ago, finally straightening and entering the hallway, not surprised to hear water running or Takara's footsteps as she soothed the infant she'd taken in.

Walking the few steps to her room, he quietly opened the door watching her as she paced around the room, trying desperately to soothe the infant. Smiling, he walked in further, lightly shutting the door. Surprisingly, the boy she'd taken in earlier, Haku, was still sleeping contentedly in his small bed. He raised a brow when he saw the boy clutching a stuffed silver dog, but shook it off, walking over to his daughter.

"Ohayo." He said softly, catching the movement of her black dog ears. Takara smiled and nodded, continuing on what she was doing, her nose slightly wrinkled.

"I think Hana's sick." Sesshomaru frowned slightly and leaned forward, sniffing the air around the infant and nodded. He lightly felt the child's forehead and nodded again.

"I'll send the healer up here." Takara smiled and nodded, her ears swiveling to where Haku stirred, sitting up and sleepily rubbing his eyes. Seeing Sesshomaru, the boy smiled brightly.

"Ohayo, Ojiisan!" Sesshomaru smiled back at the boy.

"Ohayo, Haku. Say, why don't you come with me? I was just about to get something for your obaa-san." Haku nodded and hopped out of bed, scurrying over, his two-tailed cat demon following him faithfully. Opening the door, he let the boy out first before lightly closing it after him. Smiling, he half-listened to the boy as he chattered on, stopping suddenly when the boy's words halted in mid-sentence. The demon lord looked to the boy as he was staring out the double doors of the dining hall and frowned, following his gaze until he rested on the monk and the slayer that Kagome was so fond of.

"Uncle Miroku!!" Haku cried suddenly, running out the doors and launching himself into the monk's arms. Sesshomaru raised a brow at this, uncle Miroku?

"Haku? What in the world? What are you doing here, at Lord Sesshomaru's castle?" He set the boy down, kneeling down himself to become eye level with him. Haku smiled brightly.

"I live here with okaa-san now, Uncle Miroku!" Miroku blinked and looked over his shoulder to Sango who only shrugged, indicating that she was as clueless as he was before turning back to the boy.

"Just with your okaa-san? Where's your outo-san?" Haku smiled again.

"Father lives in the village just outside of the castle walls." He told him, having already accepted Kyoto as his adopted father. Miroku frowned, clearly not understanding.

"Haku, what are doing outside so early without a sweater or something? You're going to catch cold." Takara stated from the doorway, staring right at Miroku and Sango. They were those people from the first breakfast that they had at the castle since coming back to this time.

Haku whirled around and broke out into an even bigger smile. "Okaa-san! Okaa-san!" He shouted, running over to her and pulling her over to the other two.

"This is Uncle Miroku, okaa-san! Uncle Miroku, this is my okaa-san!" Haku was smiling brightly, obviously overjoyed. Takara smiled and patted his head.

"Run along and get ready for breakfast, Haku." She said softly. Haku nodded.

"Hai!" Once the boy was out of ear shot, Takara looked them over though it was Miroku who spoke.

"What happened to his parents?" Takara put on an indifferent face before answering.

"They died after some demon killed the entire village looking for the shikon jewel." She heard them gasp and her curiosity was instantly spiked.

"Then … "She nodded.

"I saved him and my mother is currently caring for the jewel." Miroku blinked, looking at Sango who looked at her.

"Of course … you look so much alike. You must be Takara, Kagome's daughter." Takara frowned a little but slowly nodded.

"I'm sorry about your brother." She said after a silent minute, getting only a nod in response.

"I didn't know much about him or his family, as I had only found out that I had a brother just last year and we had only met a few times." Sango stepped up and put a hand on his shoulder. A sad smile came to the monk's lips and he gently placed his hand over hers.

Takara frowned a little. "Well, it is a little chilly out here and I don't doubt that everyone would be happy to see you again." She walked back into the castle catching her mother's angry voice.

"Don't make me say it so early in the morning, InuYasha!" Kagome yelled. InuYasha said something that she couldn't make out but apparently it was the wrong thing to say because she soon heard a loud thud, indicating that her mother had sat her uncle.

Miroku chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, at least everything is still the same." The monk stopped in his tracks as a very large demon entered the room, looking like a mix between Sesshomaru and InuYasha. Sango's eyes widened a little as the demon stopped at them and smiled. Slowly her brain began working again and she returned the smile.

"Ohayo, InuTashio." The former demon lord nodded a little at the slayer and the monk.

"Ohayo, it's good to see you both again." Their short conversation came to an abrupt halt as a very pregnant Kagome stormed into the dining hall, a few servants following her, begging her to go back to bed. They nearly ran into their mistress when she stopped suddenly.

"Sango! Miroku!" She shrieked, running over to them and giving them a hug before pulling back, happiness radiating off the miko.

"Kagome! You look absolutely stunning! And you're showing now!" Kagome grinned and turned sideways, placing her hands on her swollen stomach.

"Third time." Sango's eyes widened a little as she placed her hands on her friend's stomach as well.

"How many this time?" Kagome thought for a minute but shrugged slightly.

"I'm not entirely sure. One, I think but I didn't get this large with Katsu." Sango nodded.

"Every time is different though, Kagome." Kagome nodded in return.

"Yeah, I know. How long are you guys staying for?" Sango smiled and turned to Miroku.

"For a while. We both did what we wanted to do. I visited my village and Miroku went to see the drunken monk." Kagome giggled, knowing just who she was referring to.

"Well, we were just about to sit down for breakfast, you should join us." Sango nodded.

"Defiantly." She would talk to Kagome about the boy that lived here later, after breakfast. She was starving!

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Kagome sat in the healer's hut, patiently waiting for Sesshomaru to be finished talking with her. She rested a hand on her abdomen and sighed, closing her eyes. She was still pretty tired but she was so excited to see Sango and Miroku again, it had been too long. She quietly walked closer to the bamboo flap in the doorway, slowing her breathing down to try and avoid her mate's super hearing.

"I wish you had brought her here to see me sooner, Sesshomaru-sama. The pups are fine but I am slightly concerned for Lady Kagome's health. They are taking more of a toll on her body than the first two did and they seem to be absorbing more of her miko powers than your other children, though it is not something to be overly concerned about." The healers stated in a low voice, making Kagome have to strain her hearing to hear her correctly.

Sesshomaru nodded before responding. "What would you suggest?"

"That she doesn't get overly excited or upset. Try to keep her as calm as possible for if her miko powers were to flare up, no matter how immune the pups are, it could end up killing them and injuring her. However, if she were to exert some of her powers on something physical, it would lessen what the pups are absorbing and lessen the chance of a flare up." Sesshomaru nodded again.

"Other than that?" He asked his voice slightly strained.

"Other than that, both mother and pups are fine and are developing nicely." Sesshomaru nodded and smirked a little when he heard the sound of his mate scurrying back to her place as not to get caught eavesdropping.

Pushing the flap aside, he smiled at his mate, helping her up. "You should learn to move more quietly if you're trying to fool me." Kagome blushed a little, slightly embarrassed at being caught.

"You heard me, huh?" He chuckled.

"Kagome, I think everyone heard you." Kagome blushed again, looking down at the passing scenery as they flew on her mate's youkai cloud back towards the castle.

After a few minutes of silence, Sesshomaru sighed a bit. "Alright so what did you hear?"

His golden eyes watched as his mate fidgeted a little.

"Kagome." He called firmly, a silver brow arched. Kagome sighed.

"Everything, pretty much." Sesshomaru sighed again; it figured that his mate would hear everything.

"Well, I suppose this saves me the trouble of telling you." Kagome nodded.

"But … what are we suppose to do? Why is this happening now? It didn't happen with Kasei and Takara or Katsu, as far as I know." Sesshomaru frowned, in thought.

"Well, I suppose we'll just have to put you on bed rest." Kagome's jaw fell open.

"BEDREST?! But! That's so not fair! There are things I want to do! That I need to do!" Sesshomaru winced slightly from his mate's high-pitched voice.

"Kagome, this is what I'm talking about. You're not suppose to get all worked up, it's not good for you or the pups, and you know that." Kagome stopped and sighed, nodding.

"I know … but … Sango and Miroku just came back and I want to hear all about their travels and everything else." Sesshomaru arched a silver brow.

"I never said anything about you not being able to visit with your friends; I understand how important they are to you." Kagome looked up at him and smiled, throwing her arms around his waist.

Sesshomaru smiled as well, returning the embrace.

"I don't know if you realized this but the healer said 'pups' as in two." He said softly. Kagome's eyes widened.

"Twins? Again?!" Sesshomaru nodded and he just chuckled at her happy squeal and she threw her arms around his waist again.

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**A/N:**** Well, hello again! xD I realize that these chapters are considerably shorter but I think they hold more information than my previous ones! I hope this clears up a few questions that you had about Haku!**


	34. The New Girl

**Chapter Thirty-T****hree**

**The New Girl**

**Disclaimer:**** I'm running out of ways to describe how I don't own InuYasha. I mean, it's beginning to get a little obvious, isn't it?**

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Standing on the edge of the wall that separated the castle grounds and the surrounding forest, the early morning wind whipped her golden hair around her face. The rising sun made her hair shine like molten amber and illuminated her small figure. With a smirk that showed her fangs, she easily jumped from the castle walls, seeming to have disappeared.

Kagome stopped, looking at where the girl had just been standing, blinking a few times. It was still considerably early and the light could have been playing tricks on her eyes but she could have sworn she just saw a young girl with gold hair …

Shaking her head, she shifted her quiver of arrows, continuing to the training grounds where she was meeting her mate for what was beginning to be a regular training session for her to learn how to control her miko powers better and exert some of the excess in which she seemed to have plenty of.

"You're late." Was her curt and slightly irritated greeting from her powerful lord and mate. Kagome smiled apologetically as she reached him.

"Sorry. I thought I saw a little girl with gold hair standing on the castle wall." Sesshomaru arched a silver brow. Gold hair? He would have certainly heard about a child being born with such an odd colored hair in his lands. He tucked it away for further examination and turned to his mate.

"Let's get started then. Your first exercise will be perfecting your archery skills and then we will move onto your sword work." Kagome blinked, looking a little surprised.

"But … I've never even held a sword! Unless you count all those times when I had to retrieve Tetsaiga for InuYasha …" Sesshomaru sighed a little bit, walking up and putting a gentle finger underneath his mate's chin, gently commanding her to look up at him.

"Kagome, this is not only for your benefit but it is for the pup's safety." He then offered her an encouraging smile that nearly made Kagome faint. Even in all these years, she still hadn't gotten used to that particular smile. She nodded with a smile of her own.

"Yeah, you're right." She drew an arrow from her quiver and notched it.

"Alright, ready." Sesshomaru watched his mate's form with expert eyes, slowly walking an exaggerated circle around her.

"Raise your elbow slightly. Move your left foot back about an inch. Use both eyes, not just one." After a long ten minutes, Kagome let out an exasperated noise and Sesshomaru chuckled, putting a clawed hand on her shoulder.

"Now, summon your miko powers. Pour as much into the arrow as you can." Kagome closed her eyes and Sesshomaru tugged on her hair lightly.

"Do not close your eyes, even while focusing. It just gives your enemy an added chance for attack. Now … inhale … good, Kagome. Shoot." Kagome followed his orders and poured as much miko energy as the arrow would hold and she didn't even feel close to being tired. Letting go of the arrow, she watched as it sailed through the air, leaving a very pretty but long pink streak behind and make contact with the target, getting a perfect bulls eye. She squealed happily and Sesshomaru signaled for her to wait while he retrieved her arrow.

Just as he reached for the arrow, the delayed reaction of purifying miko powers promptly blew up the target, disintegrating it and sending the demon lord flying and landing painfully on his back.

Sitting up, he growled as his demon blood worked overtime to overpower the powerful purifying energy that was currently coursing through his body, feeling like he was burning from the inside out. Once the pain had passed, he looked at his hair frowning when he discovered that it was very much singed as well as the hem of his clothes.

Kagome's eyes went wide and she jogged over to her mate, kneeling down.

"Sesshomaru! Are you alright?" Sesshomaru sat up, looking at his mate carefully, studying her. He watched her face go from concern to confusion and then embarrassment. With a sigh, he stood up, brushing off his clothes.

"I'm fine."

"How did that happen? Did you blow it up?" He arched a brow at her question. Did she honestly believe that he would blow something up when he was so close to the objection in question?

"No, I did not blow it up. I'm not a fan of being half purified." Kagome blushed again, looking down at the ground.

"Gomen, Sesshomaru. I didn't mean to have it blow up." Sesshomaru looked to where the target had just previously been, his fine brows knitting together delicately.

"Just how much power did you put into the arrow?" Kagome looked at him suddenly but then her expression turned thought.

"Well, I think I filled the arrow up pretty much all the way. I didn't mean to overdue it." Sesshomaru shook his head slightly.

"You didn't overdue it. It is actually a good result since the targets you were just shooting at require a considerable amount of magical power to even damage it in the slightest. The fact that you were able to turn it to ashes with just one arrow gives a starting point to calculating exactly how much miko energy you currently possess." Kagome took his words into consideration and then beamed at him.

"So then I'm really super strong." Sesshomaru smirked at her words.

"If you want to put it that way, then yes. Your priestess powers may even be equal to my own power." Kagome's eyes went like huge saucers as she stared at him.

"Really? Wow!!" Sesshomaru just nodded, walking away and went to the weapons rack, picking out a katana for her. Returning, he handed her the sword, watching as the girl held it awkwardly.

"Hold it like this." He instructed softly, gently placing one of her hands the handle. Kagome nodded as she slowly began getting accustomed to the hard leather in her hand that made her arm heavy and tired.

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InuYasha wandered the corridors of the castle, stretching his muscles. He'd spent the last day with his two sick twins clinging to him. Every movement he made seemed to be the wrong one and so he ended up putting cotton in his sensitive ears to shield them from all the crying.

Sighing, he stopped and looked out one of the large windows, smirking when he saw his brother and Kagome, obviously training. It looked like Sesshomaru was a little singed, probably from Kagome over doing the purification. He chuckled and took a step to continue on his walk when something sent his ears twitching and an uneasy feeling in his gut.

Placing his hands on the windowsill, he leaned against it, facing the hallway and took a large whiff of the air. Something didn't smell right …

Closing his eyes for a minute, he tried to feel it out but got nothing. Frowning, he opened his eyes just in time to catch a flash of gold. He blinked, rubbing his eyes and looking around again though everything looked normal.

Frowning deeper he took a careful step and then spun around, catching the intruder off guard.

He had to blink a few times to fully comprehend what he was holding.

"Ohayo, Uncle InuYasha!" Katsu said cheerily. He stopped and looked at the squirming mass in his uncle hand. Muffled demands were coming from what looked like a bundle of clothes with limbs. Finally, an angry golden head popped out and claws swung at nothing but air.

Not only did she have gold hair but … a tail of the same color to his astonishment.

"Oi! Put me down, damn it! Lemme go!!" Katsu blinked, walking closer and examining the girl.

"What are you doing with a girl, Uncle InuYasha?" InuYasha frowned, looking at the girl.

"I found her sneaking around the castle. Who are you? Why are you here? What do you want?" He demanded with annoyance. The girl only growled and swung at InuYasha with claws only to miss and end up spinning around while being held up by the back of her kimono. She was probably only half a foot shorter than Katsu so she really shouldn't have so much trouble getting down but InuYasha's grip was like steel.

"That's none of your damn business! Now lemme go!!" InuYasha smirked.

"Yeah right! Like I'd do that! You're not going anywhere until you answer some of my damn questions." The little girl growled at InuYasha, glaring at him, her lips formed into a pout that Katsu found quite cute. A strange scent wafted to his nose and he closed his eyes, following his nose as it unknowingly lead him right to the strange girl with the golden hair.

Her eyes went wide and she shrieked so loud that it bounced off every surface in the entire castle and even reached Kagome's ears out on the far end of the training ground.

"**PERVERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**" Suddenly, Katsu found himself on the floor, his eyes wide and a throbbing huge red hand print on his cheek. He was so shocked that he didn't even know how to respond. No one had ever hit him before, not even when he got caught snooping in his sister's diary.

"Oi!! SHUT UP!!" InuYasha shouted, wincing against the sound of her high-pitched voice as she shrieked at his nephew. It was so painful, he didn't care what he had to do to shut the girl up but something had to be done so he did the only think he could think of; he bonked her over the head and none to gently.

InuYasha sighed at the relief before the salty scent of tears filled his nose and he looked down at the girl who had her hands clenched into fists at her chest. Her chin trembled a little bit and InuYasha panicked.

"Don't cry! Please! Anything else but that!" His words were futile because, just seconds later, a very loud wailing could be heard, vibrating off the castle walls, directly into the sensitive ears of every youkai and hanyou within ten miles. If he thought that her yelling was bad then this was going to make his ears bleed.

InuYasha, torn between dropping the brat and covering his ears, held her out as far as his arm could extend, covering one ear, wincing greatly.

"What's going on?!" He heard Kagome ask. He didn't even think, he just shoved the kid against Kagome's chest and covered his ears.

The sweet calming scent of the person she was currently being held by helped calm her so that it was so loud. Kagome just blinked but went about soothing the child, not really sure what to do but she did know that if she wanted any information then she would need to calm her down.

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Later, Sesshomaru had sent up breakfast with Katsu for Kagome and the odd girl whom InuYasha had discovered. He had only been able to get information out of InuYasha and he had only described what he had felt. It sounded like what Shippo had done to infiltrate Takimaru's castle and retrieve Kagome though, by the information he'd received and comparing it to information he'd managed to get from Shippo about his ability, it was most likely the same but not as advanced or refined. Though his adopted son's words kept ringing in his head.

"It's a really hard technique to master completely and since she looks pretty young, she must have gone through really hard training for her to be able to use it to get inside."

Sighing, he sat back in the old oak and leather chair in his study, massaging his temples. He had been pouring over his father's scrolls since shortly after the incident and even speaking his father hadn't helped. It seemed that no one knew who the child was or even what possessed her to come here. It didn't help matters that whenever he went near the child she would scream or cry and then bury herself in her mate's kimono.

The first time she saw him, to his knowledge at least, she looked up at him and shrieked, calling him a murderer.

Growling with frustration, he leaned forward at his desk and with another growl, shoved everything off his desk. He placed his head in his hands with yet another sigh, closing his eyes and trying to relax.

"Come in, InuYasha." He said, trying to hide the frustration he was feeling. His brother slid in the door, closing it after him and walking over in his usual manner.

"You're going to drive yourself crazy." Sesshomaru glared at his half brother who just shrugged.

"You shouldn't worry too much about it. She's just a kid and, if you wanna get information out of her, let kids be kids." Sesshomaru straightened at the statement, somewhat understanding. Since when did his brother come up with clever ideas?

"What are you talking about, InuYasha?" The hanyou shrugged again.

"What I'm saying is that if you can't get near the brat without her screaming or crying, try a different approach, she may feel more comfortable talking to someone closer to her own age range." Sesshomaru eyed InuYasha for a moment before fully understanding.

"You want me to use my youngest son to weasel some information out of that strange girl?" InuYasha shrugged, yet again.

"Your words, not mine." Sesshomaru sat back again, considering it before dismissing it.

"Kagome would never allow it." InuYasha arched a brow at his brother and grinned.

"And since when has that stopped you? But hey, it's just an idea and it seems to be the only way because, by the way everything is on the floor and not your desk, you haven't found anything out by this ridiculous stuff." InuYasha ignored his brother's glare and turned, opening the door.

"The kid isn't talking to Kagome either." He said before walking out, leaving the door open. Sesshomaru glared at the open door for a few minutes before going to close it. As he rested a hand on the handle, he sighed suddenly. He hated it when his brother was right.

Later, Sesshomaru was standing at the window in his study when he heard the sound of the door opening.

"Dad? Kasei said you wanted to talk to me." Sesshomaru turned towards his youngest son and nodded, motioning for him to come in. Katsu closed the door and jogged over beside his father, looking out the window.

"I have something very important to ask of you but you have to promise not to tell your mother about it."

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**A/N:**** Haha … my first cliffy in a long while!! What will Kagome think once she finds out that Sesshy and InuYasha went and plotted to use her son as a pawn in some game to find out more information about the mystery girl. Yes, I realize that I haven't revealed her name yet, which is quite a first for me, hehe!**

**I hope you all enjoyed the training scene . Someone pointed out a very important thing to me that I didn't even realize so … sorry if the fact that Kagome is still pregnant in this chapter is confusing to anyone.**

**Moving on to my thank-you's and replies! By the way … I can't believe that I only got 2 reviews for the last 2 chapters that I put up!! Where did all my fans go? Cries **

**Replies**

**miroku's girlfriend** **– ****Well,** **Mulan is one of my favourite movies and I really wasn't even thinking when I was writing that little part, I was just kind of going with the flow and imagining it then when you pointed it out I was like, "Wow! She's right!"**

**Inuforlyf**** – I realize that this is quite a usually long pregnancy so I apologize! GOMEN NASAI!!! Things got a little difficult because I had so much material that I had to like … somehow make work into the new chapters that I was working on! It's a little difficult, coming up with new material that flow with the rest of the story but somehow, I always seem to do it.**

**I hope that I'll get more reviews with this chapter!!**

**I'm so excited to write the next one and … I assure you that the mystery girl is quite adorable!!!! I love her!**


	35. Together

**Chapter Thirty ****Four**

**Together**

**Disclaimer:**** Even if I do live forever, I probably still won't own InuYasha**

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Katsu entered the room where the girl was staying in and stopped in the doorway, his eyes widening a little bit. There she sat, underneath the window in the fading sunlight, her golden hair and tail shimmering brightly. Her eyes were closed and she had her face turned up, basking in the glorious warmth. What Katsu never noticed before was that she had large reddish ears with black tips nestled in her glorious golden hair. Collecting his thoughts, Katsu cleared his throat quietly, watching her ears twitch as she spun around, her wide bright blue eyes sparkling as her hair rested in place again but only for a second.

She turned her nose up at him, turning back to the window with a small 'humph'. Katsu smiled a little bit, closing the door and walking over, crouching down.

"What do you want, pervert?" She demanded. Katsu smiled a little more. She certainly was charming.

"Wanna go for a walk?" After a minute, she opened one eye before turning and staring into Katsu's golden ones. She searched his eyes for a catch but finding none, her lips formed into a light frown.

"Well?" His voice roused the girl from her thoughts and she glared at him a little.

"Well what?"

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Katsu held out his hand and watched her look from his face to his hand and back again before slowly placing her smaller one in his. Rising to his feet, he pulled her up with him and smiled, leading the way out of the room and into the fabulous gardens.

After a while, she had drawn her hand back and was currently clasping them in front of her, watching the ground. Katsu looked over and just sighed inwardly. They were never going to get anywhere at this pace and he'd never get any information from her to his father. Suddenly, he grinned, getting an idea that was sure to lighten the mood.

"Tag, you're it!" He called out, tapping her lightly and running a few feet away before stopping, seeing that she wasn't following. He ran back, tagged her again and followed his previous process before coming back for a third time. This time he noticed her confused look.

"What are you doing?" Her blue eyes held a quizzical look mirrored on her facial features. Katsu frowned a little, slightly confused.

"Playing tag, don't you know what that is? You know, I tag, you run … "He trailed off, seeing her confused expression.

"Haven't you ever played tag?" The girl shook her head softly.

"Well then, what do you play?" She shrugged a little bit.

"I don't." Katsu looked at her, clearly confused and even a little shocked.

"Of course you do, all kids play." She shook her head again.

"I don't." She repeated. "I don't know what play is. I've never had time for playing." Katsu blinked, staring at her.

"Never had time for playing? Who doesn't have time for playing?" He saw her large reddish ears drop back into her golden tresses before seeing her forlorn expression as she looked down at the ground again. Katsu sighed a little, scratching his head with a frown. Clearly, this was going to be more difficult than he originally thought. Maybe he should just start from the ground up …

"Well, let's start over. I'm Katsu." A small smile came to her features this time and Katsu felt a little bit of relief from getting positive results.

"I'm Kin." He grinned.

"Wow, that's a really pretty name! I guess your parents named you because of your hair." Her expression went from happy to somewhere near a broken sadness, it was overwhelming and this girl was like a minefield of emotions or something close to that.

"Kin?" He called softly. She turned away from him before speaking.

"I don't know … I never knew my mom or dad … I've been living with Master for as long as I can remember." Katsu's ears twitched. Master? This sounded like it would be interesting.

"Well … surely you must have some memory of them … " Katsu reached out for her shoulder before recoiling as she spun around, tears swimming in her blue eyes, reminding him of the ocean.

"WELL, I DON'T, OKAY?! JUST BECAUSE YOU WERE LUCKY AND GREW UP WITH A MOM AND DAD DOESN'T MEAN THAT EVERYONE WAS SO LUCKY!!" She stood slightly taken aback by her own words and outburst before spinning around and taking off.

Katsu blinked, unsure of what to do before he took off after her.

"KIN! Kin, wait, please!" He was so nice and she just … couldn't bring herself to do what she had been sent here for. Master would punish her for it later, that she was sure of but she couldn't bring herself to carry out her mission.

"Kin! C'mon! I'm sorry!" His words, no matter how comforting, hurt her like opening deep still healing wounds.

"Go away! Leave me alone! Please! I don't want to hurt you!" Katsu frowned. Something inside him told him to keep following her, though he thought it was just because he had been sent to find out some information and the two tiny little tidbits that he had would only bring more questions. Speeding up, he lunged and caught her finally, ending up tackling her to the ground and sliding to a stop in one of the many flower beds.

"Go away! Get away from me! I don't want to talk to you anymore! I hate you! Leave me alone! Please!" Kin pounded on whatever she could reach but Katsu refused to give up. Gripping her by the shoulders, he crushed her body against his, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

Kin's eyes widened and more tears spilled out and she struggled more, desperately trying to free herself. She was liable to tell him everything if he kept this up and she knew that she could never let that happen.

"Kin, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset. I won't let you go though, I won't." Slowly, her little hands, shaking with all the emotion coursing through her body, grasped his kimono and she, willingly or not she didn't know, buried her face in his chest and just cried until she couldn't cry anymore.

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Once Kin calmed down, they just sat there in the moonlight. If Katsu thought that the sunlight on her hair was beautiful than he must have thought that the moonlight hitting her hair was breath taking.

Katsu smiled a little bit, wiping her eyes with his kimono sleeve. Kin smiled a little bit, smiling apologetically, brushing at the wet spot she'd made on his kimono.

"Feel better now?" He asked softly, watching as the moonlight danced upon her hair and tail, giving her an almost immortal glow. A faint smile crept onto her face and she nodded.

"I'm sorry." Katsu smiled back at her, shaking his head softly.

"Sometimes you need to cry." Kin nodded and her eyes drifted up to the moon. In a few nights … she shook her head suddenly. No, she wouldn't think of that. Not now, not when she might actually have a friend.

Katsu stood and held a hand out for her. Kin looked at him and then at his hand, slowly putting hers in his, feeling herself being pulled up to her feet. His smile … warmed her all the way from the tips of her toes to the tips of her ears and made her want to smile … so she did.

"We should probably get back." Kin nodded a little bit, a fluttery feeling in her stomach as he lightly pulled her along, her hand still in his. She didn't know what was happening but, at that moment, she didn't care.

Katsu opened the door to the room she was staying in, smiling and waving a little bit.

"See you in the morning. You should come and eat breakfast with us." Kin's ears dropped a little but Katsu took her hands in his with his smile. Slowly, she couldn't help it, she smiled back at him.

Slowly letting her hands go, Katsu waved a little, walking down the hall to his own room. Kin stood in the doorway, watching him until his door closed then, with a great sigh, she closed the door and climbed into her own bed.

The next morning, the morning sun warmed her faced and her bleary eyes looked into golden ones. Yawning and rubbing her eyes, she looked again and shrieked in surprise, almost falling off the bed.

Katsu instantly grabbed her arms to prevent her from falling. "Kin, it's just me, calm down." Her ears twitched and she glared at him with a growl.

"You should knock before coming into someone's room! I could have been changing or something!" She reached over and grabbed his cheek, pulling a little.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Alright! I'm sorry!" Kin let him go and then crossed her arms, turning away from him. After a minute, she turned back slightly, watching him out of the corner of her eye.

Katsu sat on her bed, frowning a little and rubbing his cheek and looking positively adorable. She couldn't even keep it in and soon, she was laughing hard … at him.

"Hey! What's so funny?" He grinned playfully and tackled her, tickling her.

"I'll show you funny! Take this!" Kin screeched happily, tears beginning to trickle down her face.

"AH! Stop! Stop! I-I can't breathe! I give!" Katsu grinned and leaned back, letting her sit up. She pouted slightly even though her eyes sparkled with happiness.

"That was a cheap shot!" Kin growled at the grinning hanyou.

"It was payback for you pinching my cheek!" Katsu retorted, sticking his tongue out at her. Kin growled and tackled him to the floor, attacking his sides with her fingers. The half demon gave a startled yelp which was soon followed by loud laughter.

"Hah! This is payback for that then!" Soon, they were rolling around the room, tickling and chasing each other.

Just as Shippo was walking by, on his way down to the dining hall for breakfast, he heard the peals of laughter and opened the door.

"Just when I thought things couldn't get any stranger around here." He watched with curiosity as Kin's ears twitched and she set her blue eyes onto him. She didn't smell like a half demon but those ears weren't exactly the kind of ears you'd find on a full youkai. The scent of fear filled his nose and he noticed that the girl had moved considerably fast and was now on the other side of the room, huddled in a corner.

Arching a brow, Shippo stepped fully into the room and advanced on the obviously frightened girl. He wasn't meaning to be scary or intimidating but he was seriously curious about her. Finally, getting within a few feet of her, he reached out a clawed hand.

Kin's eyes went wide as terror overtook her and she let out a shrill and very loud scream, something reacting in her body and began flowing out of her. Shippo stopped dead in tracks, feeling the tingle of purification energy and his jaw dropped as a blinding pink light surrounded the girl.

Katsu shouted at his older brother, his own blood working overtime to deflect the purifying energy. Realizing that he could hear him, Katsu did the only thing he could think of doing; tackling his brother before going to Kin.

Her wails were loud and they hurt his ears and the energy crackled around him and he vaguely realized that he needed to calm her down before she purified everything in the castle, including himself. Slowly reaching out his hands, he winced as they burned but he enveloped Kin in his arms, trying hard to ignore the pain that it caused him.

"Kin, stop! Stop it! Calm down!" Katsu's familiar voice made her ears twitch and she looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. He looked like he was in a lot of pain but she couldn't figure out why.

"Katsu, I'm scared! I don't want him to hurt me!" Katsu tried his best to smile at her.

"It's okay. I'm here now." He saw her nod and slowly the pain subsided though he was so very tired. He smiled at her just before he passed out, his demonic features completely gone and he was completely human.

Kin's eyes went wide and she screamed out his name, catching him as he began slipping from her. She looked him over, trying to figure out why he smelled and looked different and why he wasn't waking up, no matter how many times she called his name.

By now, everyone that resided in the castle almost was at her door, Kagome and Sesshomaru being the first people there. She saw Sesshomaru but pushed her fear aside as new tears streamed down her face. Had she killed him? Kagome came in and crouched down, pushing her own fear and worry aside as she gently stroked the girl's hair.

She just looked at Shippo and then picked up the two children, heading to the healing wing. She had felt the huge burst of spiritual energy while they were just heading to the dining hall from training though she had no idea who it was coming from, she could tell it was coming from where the girl was staying in though they still didn't know her name.

She laid her son on the bed and talked to the healer, explaining what had happened. As long as the boy was breathing then he was fine but she thought it best to leave him in the healing wing so he could be monitored.

The healer went over to where the two children were intent that the girl would not be staying on the same bed, with the young master's head in her lap, no less.

"Come child, you should move from there." Kin shook her head violently.

"No." The healer frowned a little bit, reaching out to move her but was met with a feral growl. Looking at Kagome and receiving orders to leave her be, she left to go busy herself elsewhere.

Kagome looked at the two and sighed, leaving the healing wing. She needed to eat something before she could fully deal with this.

Kin looked down at Katsu, gently brushing his now black hair out his face as he slept on. Tears and worry welled up inside her and her chin trembled. What if she really had killed him? She didn't mean to!

"Katsu … I'm … sorry. I'm really sorry … "That was when the dam broke and the only thing she could do was cry. The first thing to come to Katsu's head when he reached consciousness was that someone was crying but, why? Something splashed onto his face and then rolled down and he slowly opened his eyes, seeing the gold hair of the only golden haired girl he knew.

Slowly he reached up and noticed that he didn't have any claws. Frowning he just pushed the thought out of his head and he slowly wrapped his now non-clawed fingers around one of her hands, drawing her attention to him.

"You shouldn't cry so much." He said quietly, still quite tired. Kin's chin trembled again and she threw her arms around him in an awkward hug.

"You're okay!! I didn't kill you! I'm sorry!!! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Katsu blinked a few times but smiled, hugging her back. He didn't exactly understand what she was sorry for but … every time he was with her, he felt so important, like she really did need him.

"It's alright, Kin. I'm fine, just really tired." Kin let him go and lay down next to him, her nose a bright cherry color.

"I really am sorry, Katsu. I didn't mean to hurt you. I … don't even really know what happened … my … my body just reacted … and … "Katsu tugged on her golden hair with a slight frown.

"Didn't I just tell you that it was alright? Now, stop crying." He ordered softly, gently wiping her tears away. Kin smiled as something fluttered in her stomach and she nodded softly, closing her eyes.

Katsu watched her for a few seconds before closing his own eyes and quickly drifting off to sleep, not even realizing that they still had their fingers entertwined.

Kagome entered quietly and smiled at the two, stopping beside the bed they were sharing. Her heart warmed at the sight of their hands together and she pulled the blanket up over them. She didn't know hardly anything about the girl but Katsu seemed to trust her and she seemed to trust Katsu. For now, all questions could wait.

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**A/N:**** Well, what do you think? Hehe … ah I love writing stuff like this! And … I've finally revealed her name! Yay! They're not quite a couple yet and there are still quite a bit of mystery surrounding my beloved little Kin!**

**By the way, I looked up her name and the source said that it means something like gold or golden. Perfect name for her, huh? I thought so!**

**Ah! I'm so good at creating all this mystery! I don't think I'll ever be able to finish this story … if I do … do you guys think I should make a squeal?**

**Please let me know in your reviews, I haven't gotten that many and it's tearing at my heart!!**

**Replies**

**miroku's girlfriend**** – Well, as far as I know, not a whole lot of people have golden hair and not like golden blond, I'm talking about the actual gold color and I doubt that you're going to find someone with that color of hair, naturally anyways.**

**I don't know how Ayame came into this but she's got red hair.**

**Yes, Sesshy is going to get into a LOT of trouble and I'm excited to write that. Poor Sesshy though it is his own doing. Don't think InuYasha won't get in trouble either, haha!**


	36. Mama and Papa

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

**Mama and Papa**

**Disclaimer: Yes, I do not own InuYasha. It****'****s the sad truth but I****'****ll live**

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The next morning, Katsu demonic features were back and he was back to his usual self and getting a little impatient at being kept in bed while the other kids were outside playing.

"Don't fuss, Katsu." Kagome told him softly, checking him over carefully. Katsu frowned a little and sighed.

"But, mom, I want to go outside and play. Please? I'll be careful and everything, I promise." Kagome smiled and ruffled her son's hair lightly.

"Just be patient. You'll be able to go outside soon enough." Katsu looked at his mother but gave a resigned sigh, letting her finish checking over him.

"You know, dad is going to be awfully upset to find you out of bed, mom. He said that you needed to stay in bed today and rest." Kagome sweat dropped lightly.

"I'll handle your father, don't worry. We've already got one worry wart in the family, we don't need another." Kagome slid a look over at the golden haired girl who hadn't left Katsu's bedside since yesterday. She didn't talk to anyone but him and hardly ever made eye contact with anyone except for him.

Sitting back, Kagome smiled again. "Alright, you can go play now." Katsu nodded and jumped off the bed, running over to Kin who stood on the other side of the room, obviously keeping her distance from Kagome.

"C'mon! I'll introduce you to my friend Haku and my few other friends from the village really close to here." Kin nodded and her blue eyes watched Kagome for a few more minutes before they left the room in a hurry. Kagome smiled and sat back, sighing and putting a hand on her huge stomach, not even sensing Sesshomaru's demonic aura as he watched from the doorway.

"So now I'm a worry wart?" His smooth voice made her jump and he watched as she spun around with a guilty smile before it turned into a smirk.

"Yes." She said simply, reading her mate's expression easily.

"What are you doing out of bed in the first place? The healers are perfectly capable of checking over our son." Kagome rose to her feet and smiled.

"I know but I wanted to do it." Sesshomaru sighed lightly, shaking his head.

"Kagome, you used up way too much of you miko energy today during training, I don't want you using anymore and putting yourself and the pups in danger." Kagome walked over to her mate, smiling up at him, obviously not really listening to him.

"I know but I don't even feel tired and I hate resting in bed on such a beautiful day. Besides, you let me out when I was pregnant with Kasei and Takara." A smirk played on his beautiful features.

"Yes and you ended up going into early labour." Kagome nodded.

"Exactly, I'm already late so maybe all this will help things along." Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at his mate a little. When did she learn so much about this? Kagome grinned and walked past him.

"I do know how to read, you know. And since we have such an extensive library, it wasn't hard to find what I needed on the matter. Besides, your father was very helpful." Sesshomaru growled lightly. Leave it to his father to help his mate get the better of him. With sigh, he followed his mate out of the room and scooped her up, earning a surprised squeak from her and a satisfied smirk from him.

"If you insist on defying me and doing what you please then I have no choice but to accompany you on whatever you plan on doing today." Kagome narrowed her eyes at him, her lower lip coming out in a pout.

"Spoil sport."

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"Hey! Eri! Aya! Haku!" The other two children looked up and smiled, waving at Katsu.

"Hey! Katsu! Over here!" Katsu ran over to his friends with a grin.

"Guys, this is Kin." He looked to the side where she was just at and blinked; now looking at nothing.

"Kin? Is that her?" Eri pointed at the head of golden hair behind him and Katsu spun around. The girl hid a little further behind Katsu, her ears pressed against her head, her blue eyes looking at the three with fear.

Katsu smiled and took her hand, drawing her attention to him. "It's alright. They're my friends, they won't hurt you." Kin slowly smiled and nodded, turning to the group. Aya stepped up, looking at her hair with amazement.

"Wow … I've never seen someone with gold hair before … it's so cool! Can I touch it?" Kin looked at Katsu and then at the girl in front of her.

"Um … I guess so … it's … just hair though …" The girl in front of her gasped as the golden strands flowed through her fingers and she brought up her other hand to run her fingers through her hair as well.

"You're hair … it's so soft! It's just like silk." Kin blushed a little. Katsu grinned.

"Did you see her ears? They're amazing! I wish I had ears like that."

"Aw! But your ears are so cute, Katsu!" Aya told him. Katsu chuckled but shook his head.

"Maybe but I like Kin's ears more. They're really cool." Kin looked at them and smiled, beginning to feel more at ease. Casually, she looked up and flicked one, earning gasps of amazement.

"Wow … they're so big! They must be really soft!" Aya exclaimed, a bright smile breaking out on her face. Eri sighed and rolled his eyes.

"C'mon already! We were right in the middle of a ball game when you came, Katsu. Wanna play? She can play too." Kin looked at the boy and her ears dropped a little. Aya gasped and whirled around to face Eri.

"Eri, you baka! Don't make her feel sad! Boys! They can be so stupid sometimes!" The green eyed girl turned back to Kin and smiled, taking her hands.

"Don't listen to him, Kin, he's an idiot. What do you want to do?" Kin looked at the girl and smiled.

"Um … I wouldn't mind … learning how to play ball …" Eri rolled his eyes and tossed the ball at her.

"Sheesh … girls sure can be stupid. Let's just play already. Mom wants me back for lunch." Aya stuck her tongue out at Eri but smiled at Kin.

"Alright, let's play!"

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Kagome smiled a little bit from the balcony of the room her and Sesshomaru shared. She deserved to make some friends especially if she distrusted everyone so much. There must be a reason behind it, an explanation of how she came to be here in the first place.

"Ah … this is all so confusing. I don't know where to even start and the more I think about it the more confused I get!" Kagome sat down on the chair that was on the balcony, leaning back and covering her eyes with her arm.

Kagome paused for a minute as a trickling sensation ran down her leg. Sitting up, she was gripped with a rippling pain and she gripped the arms of the chair.

"I realize that it's always painful so then … oh never mind!!"

Kin's ears twitched and she looked at the balcony that was connected to Kagome and Sesshomaru's room. Aya blinked and walked over, curious as to what she could be staring at so intently.

"What are you looking at?" Kin looked at the other girl.

"Do you know Lady Kagome?" Aya frowned a little.

"Not personally but I heard that she's going to have twins. Why? What's wrong?" Kin strained her ears a little bit and frowned.

"I think the babies are coming." She vaguely remembered one of the ladies she stayed with having a baby and sounding similar to what she was hearing from Lady Kagome.

"WHAT?!" Aya gasped a little. Since she was human, she couldn't hear whatever Kin was hearing but she was anxious to help out.

"Katsu!" The hanyou blinked a little bit and the three boys turned to look at the two girls.

"Geez, Aya. What's your problem now? Can't we just finish our game before you have some big fit?" Aya glared at him but turned to Katsu.

"I think we should go find your dad." Katsu frowned slightly.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I think the babies are coming." Katsu's eyes widened a little bit. He looked to Haku and they both took off to find Sesshomaru. Kin watched the two boys leave and shook her head. They were going the wrong way.

"They're going the wrong way."

"Do you know where he is?" Eri asked, finally addressing Kin. The golden haired girl looked at him and nodded.

"Then let's go." Eri crouched down and Aya climbed onto his back. He walked over to Kin, looking at her.

"Well, lead the way." Kin paused for a moment but nodded and took off at full speed towards the castle. She looked over at Eri who was easily keeping up with her and Aya as she rode on his back.

"Shouldn't we knock or something?" Aya asked as they stood in front of the huge double oak doors. Kin steeled her spine and took a step towards the doors.

"We don't have time. If Lady Kagome is not attended to right away … something bad could happen …" Her clawed hands rested on the doors and tears swam in her eyes. She shook her head violently, wiping the tears away quickly and throwing the doors open.

"LORD SESSHOMARU!" Sesshomaru looked up from his desk and growled at the intrusion but it instantly died as he saw just who was standing in the doorway, heaving like she'd just done an entire lap around the castle.

"Lady Kagome has gone into labour, Lord Sesshomaru." Kin told him, addressing him directly for the first time since she'd been there. Sesshomaru swore lightly and used his demonic speed to carry him to his mate.

"Kagome." Kagome looked up and smiled, trying to ignore the pain.

"I think they're ready to join us." Sesshomaru smiled a little and nodded, going over to her and lightly kissing her forehead. Kagome smiled, already feeling better just by being with him though she hissed in pain, digging her nails into Sesshomaru's arm. He winced slightly, remembering Kagome's strength with Kasei and Takara.

"I'll put you in bed. The healer's should be here soon." Kagome nodded a little once the pain subsided. They were really close together and getting stronger.

Kin was on the other side of the door, trembling a little bit, her memories flooding back to her. Even though she'd told Katsu that she didn't have any memories of her parents, she lied because … she really just didn't want to remember them again. It hurt too much.

**Kin****'****s Flashback Start**

Kin walked into the hut and smiled, launching herself at her mother happily. "Mama! I'm home!" Kin's mother looked at her daughter with her beautiful blue eyes and golden hair and smiled, laughing lightly at her daughter's actions.

"Welcome home, my Kin. How did things go today?" Kin smiled brightly, leading her mother over to the cushions that were seated around a fire pit on the floor.

"Today was so much fun, Mama! Marika-chan got a new yukata! Oh, it's so pretty, Mama!" Her mother smiled and nodded, listening intently to her daughter. Suddenly, she stopped nodding and put a hand to her swollen stomach.

"Oh my." Kin's ears twitched and she scooted closer, leaning on her hands and knees.

"What's wrong, Mama?" The woman looked to her daughter and smiled though it was a little strained.

"Go see if you can't find Papa and tell him that the baby is coming." The girl's eyes went wide and she jumped up, nodding, her hair flying all over the place and her ears flopping back and fourth.

She zoomed out of the hut and found her father in the fields. He was a very handsome fox demon with very red hair and a beautiful red and white tail.

"Papa! Papa!" She called loudly, running towards him. He looked up just in time to catch her.

"Oh, Kin, what are you doing here? I thought you were helping Mama with dinner." Kin nodded, her blue eyes looking at him.

"The baby is coming, Papa! You have to hurry!" Her father chuckled and set her down, crouching down to her level.

"Alright then, do you remember what to do?" Kin nodded and ran off again. Returning to the hut a few minutes later, the local priestess on her heels, she watched intently as she began setting everything up for the baby's arrival.

"Kin, honey." Her mother called softly. Kin kneeled down beside her mother, smiling when she ran her fingertips over her ears.

"Why don't you go play outside with your new ball? The baby won't be here for another little while." Kin nodded and picked up her new ball, heading outside.

Later, she had been sitting against the hut, waiting patiently for the baby to come and she had begun falling asleep when she heard the loud cry of her new baby brother or sister.

Shooting up, she went over to the bamboo flap and waited impatiently, her tail flicking back and fourth. Soon, the priestess came out of the hut, patting her on the head as she left. Her father bowed and thanked her for her services and looked down at Kin.

"Oh I don't suppose you'd want to see the new baby now, would you?" Kin nodded vigorously and he chuckled a little, lifting it up a little more.

"Alright but you have to be quiet." Kin nodded and gasped in awe at the tiny infant wrapped in a blanket in her mother's arms. Kneeling beside her mother, she leaned over, gasping again.

"Kin, this is your little sister, Cho." Kin smiled a little bit, her tail swishing happily.

"I'm Kin, your onee-chan. We're going to be best friends, okay?" She looked up at her as he sat down on the other side of her mother with a smile.

"My three girls." Kin smiled and blinked curiously.

"Oh, Papa! She's got ears just like mine!" He chuckled and nodded, putting a clawed finger to his lips before answering.

"That she does."

"She's got your Papa's red hair." Her mother said softly, shifting the infant a little.

"Mama, Papa, I'm going to be the best onee-chan ever." She settled against her mother, watching her new sister happily and feeling her mother's arm come around her little body.

**Kin****'****s Flashback End**

Kin was brought back to reality by a loud cry and she looked around, her eyes wide. It felt like something had just ripped out her heart. She couldn't figure out where she was for a moment until she saw Shippo who looked quite a bit like her father. Her eyes watered and her chin trembled as the first of the tears trickled down her cheek.

"Papa … Mama …" Without warning, she dashed past Shippo, startling him so much that he nearly fell over. She streaked down the corridors, tears flying in her wake and leaving a salty trail as she whizzed by unsuspecting people and finally made it outside.

Looking around, she ran to the very edge of the castle gardens and scampered up a tree, looking at the fading sunlight. She drew her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, burying her now shiny nose in the fabric of her kimono.

"Mama. Papa. I'm sorry … I couldn't help you … I … was too little … I'm still too little. Master … said … if I wanted to see you again … then … I would … but … I can't … He's too nice to me … I don't want to hurt him … or anyone …" Kin sniffled, wiping her eyes with her sleeve only to be replaced with more tears.

"I … can't remember your face anymore … Mama … Papa … you're a strong demon … why haven't you rescued me yet …? Why hasn't anyone come to save me?"

Katsu was wandering around the garden, looking for Kin when he heard the faint sound of someone crying. Following the sound, he looked up and saw her amazing hair and smelt her tears. Frowning just a little, he easily jumped onto the branch she was on.

"Kin." The girl looked at him but looked away. "What's wrong? Tell me, please. I want to make you feel better." He crouched down next to her, thankful that she chose the biggest tree in the gardens.

"When … I told you that I didn't have any parents … I … lied …" Katsu blinked.

"Why?"

"Because I didn't want to remember … I didn't want to remember how lonely I was feeling … before I came here … before I met you … I've only been here a few days but I stopped feeling lonely and sad … but … I can't forget! If I forget then I won't ever get to see Mama or Papa or Cho again!" Katsu frowned but put his arms around her.

"It's okay to feel happy. No one wants to be sad. I don't know where your mom or dad are but I'm sure that wherever they are, they wouldn't want you to be sad. They would want you to be happy, as happy as can be." Kin looked at him.

"Really?" He nodded with a smile.

"Of course. They're your mom and dad. They're the two people that will love you no matter what, even if they get angry with you, they'll still love you and they'll always want you to be happy. I'm sure they wouldn't want you to cry so much and be so sad."Katsu told her with a soft smile. Blue eyes searched golden ones and Kin slowly nodded, turning her attention back to the setting sun. It was time to tell why she had come here in the first place.

"Katsu, I need to talk to Lord Sesshomaru." The golden haired girl told him without even a hint of shyness or fear. Katsu blinked a few times, looking at her. She seemed to have changed without him even noticing it.

Getting to his feet, he looked at the sunset and nodded, turning to her. "Alright." He smiled and held out a hand to help her up, Kin taking it with a smile of her own.

Walking into the room where everyone was, Kin cleared her throat, standing straight and looking directly at the foreboding demon lord. All eyes turned to her and she pushed the urge to run aside along with the knowledge that what she was about to do could very well get her killed. She had to do it, though. She had to because then she could see her family again. It pained her since she'd grown so close to Katsu and everyone in the short time she'd been here but, it had to be done.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I need to speak with you." She told him, her eyes hard and looking directly into his. Sesshomaru looked at her and a bad feeling filled him but he ignored it. Nodding, he walked out of the room and into his study down the hall, deciding to wait for her there.

Kin followed him out of the room, shooting an apologetic look at him with a sad smile before closing the door behind her. Once inside Sesshomaru's study, she studied the ground for a few minutes, well aware of the Lord's scrutinizing look.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly before meeting his gaze with such blazing intensity, it made Sesshomaru take a step back. Letting go of her restraint on her power and demonic energy, the full force of it was directed at Sesshomaru. The demon lord blocked it but barely and it was quite unrelenting. He was so unprepared that he hadn't made any kind of course of action.

Moving with speeding rivalling Sesshomaru's own, Kin was in front of him within an eighth of a second. Six small, slim daggers materialized in her hands and all six were plunged deep into the taiyoukai's body. Grasping two of the six daggers that were slowly disintegrating inside Sesshomaru's body, Kin's eyes blazed and purification energy was blasted at and into his body.

Jumping back, she watched the demon lord stumble, clutching his wounds, his hair now black and all his demonic features gone. She didn't even have to step back when he came towards her, the poison that the daggers released taking effect quickly and immobilizing him. With a step backwards, Sesshomaru's legs gave out on him and he tumbled towards the ground, catching himself on his desk, forcing his eyes to stay open as he watched the girl with the golden hair look at him with hollow eyes before she turned and jumped through a window.

He was quickly losing the battle of his conciousness and he already knew that she had turned him human. Fighting the pull of sleep, he tried to at least prop himself up but failed, his head hitting the solid marble floor with a sickening thud and everything went black.

Katsu knocked on the door to his father's study, unease filling him and he slowly opened the door, peering in and not seeing anyone at first. "Dad? Kin?" He called out, walking into the room. A gasp escaped the boy's lips and he ran over to his father, fear filling him. This was bad, really bad.

He shook his father lightly before fully realizing that he was bleeding and bleeding badly and … he … was human.

"KASEI!! SHIPPO!! SOMEONE!! HELP!!" He cried frantically, ripping pieces of his kimono and placing them on the wounds, trying to stop them from bleeding.

Kasei and Shippo burst through the door, only to see Katsu with tears streaming down his face and desperately trying to stop the flow of blood that was slowly seeping onto the cold marble floor.

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**A/N: Whew! Finally! Sorry this took so long, I feel terrible. But, I think that most people would agree that this is one of my best chapters yet!**

**When I finally finish this one, I am planning on making a sequel. Well, that's the plan for now but I suppose we'll have to see how things unfold. I actually had the first 8 pages already typed up but I guess I got writers block or something. Heh, this took a completely different turn than what I had originally planned. Oh well, I think it's good. Ah, the suspense is going to kill you all! Haha! **

**Now, some of you may think that what just transpired is nearly impossible because well, it's Sesshomaru! Well, while that's all good and true, she definitely had an element of surprise and well, it just wouldn't have made a very good ending if things hadn't of happened the way it did.**

**A reviewer of one of my other fanfics pointed out something to me that I hope I fixed. It was with when people were talking, he pointed out that sometimes it was a little difficult to tell who was saying what and I agree with him. I hope I have fixed it!**

**Thanks to:**

**sesshy's one and only**

**Inuforlyf****Fabulous Georgina**

**Faye**

**For their reviews on chapter 35. I hope this chapter finds you all in good health and all that other stuff!**

**Until next time!**

**Later days!**

**PS**

**Fanfic . net just royally messed up this chapter so I'm sorry that it doesn't look like the others! I tried to fix it but it wouldn't work!**


	37. Enter the Devil

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

**Enter the Devil**

**Disclaimer:**** The world is just an illusion, trying to change you. Unfortunately, the only non-illusion is that I don't own InuYasha**

Ijin – Devil

Monto - Follower

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Sesshomaru's laboured breathing and the obvious fact that he still hadn't reverted to his demon form even after a full day was the object of everyone's worry, especially Kagome's. The Lady of the West changed the cloth that rested on her mate's forehead with a heavy sigh though the sight of their two brand new pups lying against Sesshomaru did make her smile, even if it was just a little.

Placing her hands in her lap, the miko watched her mate before shifting her attention to the pups, which looked very different from their siblings. Although Kagome had been assured that everything was fine and healthy with her girls, pink was just not a natural hair color though it did look pretty good with their golden eyes and unlike their siblings, they were lacking dog-ears and had somehow inherited Sesshomaru's ears and his markings. They truly were identical twins, identical full demon twins, which concerned Kagome the most next to the fact that her mate still hadn't woken up and was still currently human.

The dark haired girl looked up when a knock was heard at the door. "Come in." A silver haired dog-boy dressed in red strode in, unknowingly being followed by two little girls. Kagome raised a brow at the sight of the two and smiled, pointing behind her friend. The red clad figure turned around and lowered his eyes at them.

Kagome watched the two pout and then watched as InuYasha's will slowly crumble to their needs. She couldn't help but smile when she heard the tell-tale sigh of defeat come from him. The two ran to the side of the bed, staring at their new cousins as their father sat himself in the chair next to their aunt.

"Any changes?" Kagome shook her head slowly. "Nothing yet." InuYasha nodded and silence stretched out between them, only broken by the two children's whispers to one another. Kagome smiled, despite the situation and leaned down towards the girls.

"What are you two whispering about?" The two beamed at Kagome. "Nothing." They said in unison. InuYasha growled lightly at their response.

"Ran, Miki, you know what your mother has said about secrets." The girls whined but he was having nothing of it. They sighed lightly, looking to one another again before looking at Kagome.

"Ran said that she saw Kin go into Uncle Sesshomaru's study before he got hurt." The little girl known as Ran nodded. "And when me and Miki were outside playing, we heard Kin talking to someone but we couldn't see who it was 'cause he was hiding." Kagome smiled at the two girls. "Well, thank you for sharing it with me. Now, why don't you go give those boys a run for their money at hide and seek or something?" The two looked at each other and scampered out of the room. Once they were out of ear shot, Kagome sighed a heavy sigh.

"I know that they wouldn't make something like that up but … she's just a little girl, smaller than Katsu." InuYasha nodded in agreement, silence stretching on between them again.

"Whatever the case is, we need to find that girl since it's likely that if she is the cause for what happened to this baka then she is probably the only one that can wake him up." InuYasha stated, his eyes never leaving his still slumbering brother. That way that girl just showed up one day didn't sit well with him at all, nor did her presence here at the castle, at least before she disappeared, that is.

With her hands in her lap, Kagome stared hard at where Sesshomaru was sleeping, willing him to wake up and say different. After holding her breath for a few seconds, Kagome sighed. "You're right."

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Far away, to the far, far north, a little girl with gold hair sat in a dark room, hugging her knees to her chest, crying quietly. Master still wasn't allowing her to see her family even though she'd done what he asked her to do. Sniffling, she wiped her tears and steeled herself not to cry anymore.

"_They would want you to be happy, as happy as can be."_

Kin shook her head violently. This wasn't right. She shouldn't be remembering his words. "Aw, what's the matter with the pretty little fox baby?" A snide voice asked. Kin glared at the other girl her age with red eyes and black hair, green earrings hanging from her demonic ears.

"Shut up, Kagura and leave me alone." The other girl's red eyes narrowed and she snapped her fan shut, going over and grabbing a fist full of Kin's hair and yanking on it, making her yelp.

"Just because you're Master's new favourite doesn't mean that you can talk to me that way! I was here before you came along and stole my place beside Master!" Kin winced, trying to pry the other girl's hand away. The girl looked at the other girl with disgust, shoving her to the ground before walking out of the room. Kin smoothed down her hair, holding back her tears; she wouldn't give the other girl the satisfaction of making her cry.

Pushing herself off the floor, Kin rose to her feet, heading towards the hall for dinner. Pausing in the doorway, the golden haired girl looked through her window and out at the moon. "It's full again …" Katsu's laughing face filled her mind and Kin blushed lightly, before moving on, her eyes down cast.

"What am I thinking of him for? He probably hates me now …"

"Thinking of who?" A voice beside her asked, making Kin jump. Looking up, she saw one of the older girls that lived there, at the house. The older girl grinned at her, leaning forward. "Sorry, Kin-Chan, you were just so lost in thought." Kin shook her head a little with a smile. "No, it's alright, Marika-san."

"Well, I'll walk to you to the hall." The girl known as Marika offered with a smile. She had blonde hair tied into a high ponytail and many earrings lining her demon ears.

"Aw, are you escorting the poor little fox to the hall again, Marika-CHAN?" The blonde girl's expression soured as she looked to the girl with long red hair and deep purple eyes.

"Ijin." Marika said with disgust. The girl known as Ijin crouched down and put a pale clawed hand on Kin's head, smirking when the young girl flinched. Kin blinked and looked up at her blonde savoir, who was in front of her, facing off with Ijin and her pack.

Ijin smirked at the other girl her age. "Still protecting the weak, Marika? Well, whatever, just watch your back, kid, you're everyone's target now." Turning, her devil's tail curled lightly as she waved, walking down to the hall. Kin could only stare as the older and much more dangerous girl walked away from them, wondering just what she could possibly mean by that.

Marika exhaled, not even realizing she had been holding her breath and turned to the golden haired child with a smile. "Don't worry about Ijin, Kin, she's really harmless. Now, we'd better get going before we miss dinner." Kin smiled and nodded, eagerly following the older girl.

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The next night was a full moon as well and it hung low in the sky. Two girls stood, silhouetted against it, their figures dark and no features could be seen, until one of them smirked, fangs glinting then they seemed to disappear.

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Early morning sunlight filtered bright and warm through the large window, warming a path to a dark haired beauty, her head resting on her arms, resting on the bed, where a silver haired beauty slept. The quiet rays of the sun warmed the girl's face, eventually causing long eye lashes to lift, exposing chocolate coloured orbs to the fall sun. Squinting, a hand was lifted to block the sun from her eyes and another was placed over her mouth as she yawned. Eyes watered lightly as a smile graced her lips as her eyes scanned the room, scanning over her slumbering demon mate and continuing on.

She stopped, her eyes widening as she turned quickly to the slumbering demon. Tears prickled the chocolate coloured eyes and a happy smile formed on her soft lips as she traced the demon's pointed ears lightly. Rising to her feet, she gently pulled the blankets down and opened the simple robe he had been dressed in and the smile was quickly replaced by a frown. The bandages that wrapped around the demon's upper body were bloody but hope filled her and she began removing them as quickly yet gently as she was able.

Her hands still at the sight that greeted her. Instead of nothing but smooth, silky, gorgeous and flawless skin, there were still six very red holes that were still slowly leaking dark, thick blood. Clinging to her hope, the owner of the soft and silky dark tresses that cascaded down her back applied more salve to the wounds and wrapped the demon's torso in fresh bandages.

She had just sat down in the chair that had been by the bed that the beautiful demon slept upon since the event two days ago when the door burst open, revealing a silver haired dog boy dressed in blue. Chocolate brown eyes met eyes of the same color.

"Katsu's missing."

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Katsu had his nose to the ground, not knowing how much he looked like another dog-eared silver haired half demon. He could smell Kin's scent but it wasn't very clear so he travelled with his nose to the ground, determined to find her and find out exactly what was going on. The boy had it set in his mind that whoever hurt his father couldn't of possibly been Kin, she was his friend after all.

Following his nose, he didn't notice the two figures standing in his path or the legs that he ran into, sending him onto his butt. Katsu rubbed his nose as he looked up at the two figures, both obviously female. The one with red hair and deep purple eyes was smirking as she leaned forward, giving the boy a clear view of her cleavage.

"Well, well, looks like we found a lost puppy, Monto." Katsu blushed heavily, leaning back and trying to put a little bit of distance between them. The girl put her hands on her hips, her wide ruffles sleeves swaying lightly with the action then a hand with many rings and claws painted blood red to match her hair reached out, tracing one of his dog ears.

"I – I'm not a puppy." Katsu managed to squeak out.

"Well, you look like a puppy." She leaned forward so that their eyes were near level and Katsu had to suppress a shiver and his mouth went dry. He didn't know what was happening to his body but he didn't like it. He tried to move back more to put more space between them but found that he couldn't move. He glanced down, now realizing that he couldn't move because she wasn't letting him.

"W-well, I'm not." He told her stubbornly, still trying to put distance between them.

"He is one of Lord Sesshomaru's offspring." The other girl told the one holding onto Katsu. She blinked and looked behind her at the girl with white hair and black eyes before looking back at Katsu, studying him more thoroughly. "Are you sure, Monto?" The white haired girl nodded only once. "I am sure."

The red head looked at the other girl again before turning back to Katsu with probably the most evil grin he had ever seen and … it scared him.

"Well then, puppy, you'll have to come with us." Katsu shook his head. "I – I don't want to." Suddenly, he was released and the strange girl with the shortest and most ruffled dress he'd ever seen before gave him much needed space.

"Hmm, well, I don't want to force you to come with us." She stated, walking in a slow circle around him, her heavy black boots clanking with each step. "So I'll tell you what," She cupped Katsu's face with one heavily jewelled hand, her deep purple eyes boring into his golden ones, "I'll give you a five minute head start and if I can catch you then you'll come with us." Releasing him, she shoved him lightly, walking back over to her companion.

"But –"

"Tick tock, puppy." Katsu decided not to stick around to see if she was serious enough and scampered to his feet, taking off into the thick trees, running as fast as his legs could carry him. He weaved through the trees, trying to get as far away from them as he could. Looking behind him, he scanned the scenery, thinking she might be following him when he ran right into another, yet older hanyou wearing red.

Katsu rubbed his head, wincing and opening his eyes to a very welcome sight indeed. "Uncle InuYasha!" He was only met with another bonk on the head.

"You idiot! Why'd you have to go running off like that? You had everyone in the castle worried about you! Your mom sent out a bloody search party for you, ya brat!" Katsu couldn't help but smile, despite the harsh scolding he was receiving.

"Times up, puppy." A voice said and Katsu whirled around, trying to find out where she was. He turned to his uncle, panic in his golden eyes. "We have to get out of here!" InuYasha looked at his nephew, a little confused.

"Now you come with us." A female voice said, holding out a hand and a very intricate designed staff materialized. With two sharp points at the ends, a silver dragon with ruby red eyes wound it's away up to the tip of the staff. She brought the tip of one of the three very sharp and very deadly prongs to her mouth, her tongue snaking out and licking it. In a flash of movement, she was holding it over her head and she sunk it into the ground, what looked like blood slowly seeping out of the hole.

"Dance of the Dead." She said quietly, a rush of power going by her and zombies broke from the earth, latching onto both hanyous. InuYasha looked at the things sprouting from the ground and covered his nose from the stench. Pulling out Tetsaiga, he shoved his nephew behind him.

"Alright you disgusting zombies, prepare to die – again! Wind Scar!" With one swing of his sword, streams of yellow light attacked the rotting corpses. He gave a confidant chuckle, not noticing how they just seemed to get right back up again.

"Uncle InuYasha! Look! They're coming back!" InuYasha whirled around, seeing even more of the rotting flesh than before. "Damn it, where are they coming from?!" He swung his sword, slicing many more but, again, they just kept coming back, latching onto them. InuYasha grunted as he tried to lift his arms but found it almost impossible. "Damn it." He ground out. "Stay close, kid and don't worry, I'll get us out of this."

"Oh you think so?" A female voiced asked him. InuYasha looked up to see two girls walk towards them, one of them looking scarily familiar. The owner of the voice only laughed with a feral growl erupted from the hanyou known as InuYasha.

"Who are you?! What do you want with Katsu?!" InuYasha demanded, struggling against his restraints. She only laughed at his attempt and walked up to him with a smirk.

"Is that what his name is? What a cute name for the cute puppy. As for me, I am known as Ijin and you must be the famous InuYasha, brother to the late Lord Sesshomaru." Ijin looked InuYasha over, making the hanyou uneasy, especially when she began pressing herself against him. "I do love older men." InuYasha growled at her again, this time succeeding in moving his arm and almost slicing her.

Ijin laughed, easily jumping out of the way of his claws. "Temper, temper, InuYasha. Now, as for what I want …" One of her jewelled fingers tapped her cheek lightly as she appeared to be thinking. "That's simple; I want your little nephew there, behind you."

InuYasha growled again. "Well, you can't have him! What do you want with him, anyways?!" Ijin laughed heartily, as if she was truly enjoying the time they were spending together and, in fact, she was.

"Why, as a present for Master, of course." She sighed and waved her hand, as if dismissing the subject. "But, we'll save that for another day, you'll probably be meeting him soon anyways. Now, kindly hand him over and I won't have to kill you for getting in my way." Ijin informed him with a smile. InuYasha growled again, gathering his strength and breaking free from his captors.

"Like hell, you ugly wench!" Drawing Tetsaiga again, InuYasha moved his nephew further behind him. The zombies began advancing on him again but stopped suddenly and began backing off, going back into the earth. InuYasha looked around for any possible way to escape and get Katsu out of there. The fact that the zombies were gone worried him and worried him a lot.

"When I say, run as fast as you can back to the castle." InuYasha told the boy quietly. Katsu just nodded in understanding.

"Oh, pooh, I was hoping that it wouldn't come to this. Oh well, I'll just have to kill you then." Ijin said with a smile, her staff disappearing as she brought out her two swords, only waiting half a second before launching her attack at InuYasha who barely dodged.

"GO! NOW!" InuYasha roared and Katsu took off towards the castle. Ijin smirked and pushed the half demon InuYasha back a few feet, resting her arms at her sides, still holding her swords.

"Monto, go fetch the puppy." The white haired girl nodded once and disappeared from sight. InuYasha swore and looked around for the girl but didn't find her anywhere. Instinct had him blocking another attack as he stared into deep purple hues.

"Better pay attention, InuYasha or you might get hurt. Besides, you don't need to worry about Monto; she can take care of herself." InuYasha growled, jumping back.

"Like hell I'm worried about her!" He snarled, blocking another attack but just barely. Damn she was fast and what the hell was she? Clearly full demon but he'd never seen any demon that looked like her before.

"Pay attention, puppy." She called merrily before sending a fireball at him. InuYasha swore and jumped out of the way, taking off running.

"Oooh, I love a good chase." Ijin said with a smile, taking off after him. "You're slow, puppy." She said from beside him, sending him through a line of trees. InuYasha coughed, blood splattering on the ground and he cursed silently. Damn it, why the hell was she so strong?

Monto found Katsu easily. "Excuse me, young Master." She said her voice void of emotion as usual. Plucking Katsu out of a full run, she appeared beside Ijin.

Ijin looked at the other girl and grinned, turning her attention back to InuYasha who was having to use Tetsaiga to hold himself up. She smiled sweetly at him, holding her swords over her head and beginning to twirl them.

"Well, this is our final good bye, InuYasha. End of Days!" She called out, bringing both swords down, crossing them and sending a powerful attack directly at the injured half demon. The full force sent him flying backwards almost fifty feet and breaking many trees in the process, the thing that stopped him was a large rock. The three watched the hanyou lay on the ground, motionless. Katsu's eyes filled with tears and he trembled.

"Get up, Uncle InuYasha. Get up!" Breaking free, Katsu ran over to his uncle, shaking him as tears poured from his eyes. Ijin and Monto both walked over, one sword casually over Ijin's shoulder while the other rested her hand at her side. The girl rolled her eyes at the scene.

"Honestly, you'd think he'd never seen someone die before. Whatever, let's go, puppy." Katsu shook his head violently, refusing to budge. Ijin narrowed her eyes at him and reached out, grabbed him by the collar and began dragging him along as they walked back towards their home.

Katsu watched his uncle lay on the ground until he was completely out of sight and then, and only then, did he go willingly.

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**A/N:**** Well, that was an evil cliffy –laughs- Is he dead? Maybe. Is he alive? Maybe.**

**I hope everyone**** enjoyed the new characters and the little insight into Kin's life. Who is this 'Master' they keep referring to? Well, I suppose you guys will just have to wait and see, won't you? I'll give you a hint though: It's not Naraku. I'm not THAT evil.**

**Review Replies:**

**Fabulous Georgina**** – You're most certainly welcome . I had a blast writing this chapter. As for what took me so long … well … I blame it on writer's block xD Which character is your favorite? Mine's Ijin xD**


	38. Enter the Angel

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

**Enter the Angel**

**Disclaimer:**** Don't own InuYasha – simple and clean**

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It was cold, really cold, that much InuYasha could tell that and the near crippling pain that filled his body even when he breathed, well, attempted to. That girl … Ijin and her little friend with the white hair that gave him the creeps … what was her name again? Oh right, Monto. What a weird name, why would someone name their child 'follower' and why the hell was he thinking about something so stupid when he should be trying to get himself some help.

With that thought in mind, InuYasha gritted his teeth against the surge of pain that greeted him when he even made a movement as simple as moving his arm to try and prop himself up. Breathing heavily, InuYasha paused in his movements for a moment before letting out a pained cry when he finally managed to move his arm closer to his body. The edges of his sigh were beginning to blacken as the inu hanyou fought to keep his consciousness. The darkness crept up onto the hanyou and InuYasha growled, forcing his broken, bruised and battered body to move, to rise as he had always risen after he had been left for dead.

Panting and gasping for air, InuYasha's vision began blurring, his body burning and screaming at him to let it rest but he would have none of it. Using Tetsaiga to haul himself off the ground, a mangled cry escaped the hanyou's lips at the massive amount of pain the action caused him. Gritting his teeth, his eyes were squeezed shut as sweat, proof of his exertion, began trickling down the half demon's forehead. When he opened his eyes, he could only mutter curses as he saw tiny flakes of white, cold snow fall silently from the sky, onto the leaf covered ground below his feet and onto him, slowly thickening as more and more fell.

Slowly and painfully, the hanyou made his way through the forest, only coming to a halt when he lost his footing while drudging through the snow, landing face first in it. His body had become soaked with sweat from his exertion and InuYasha now lay in the cold snow, it melting mostly on contact and soaking him further, sending shivers through out the hanyou's body. Lifting his head slowly, fighting his severely blurring vision and fighting to keep his conscious mind, InuYasha had to blink a few times just to make sure what he was seeing was real. A girl with long gold hair and fox ears and tail was standing before him, the white snow falling around her made her seem surreal, almost as if she wasn't there. She looked like that girl that had just randomly shown up at the castle and vanished the same way but something was different about her. She was taller, a lot taller and she was obviously not a child as was made apparent by her quite busty qualities.

The hanyou's eyes focused on her lips as she spoke but he could hear nothing. He strained his ears as her lips moved, obviously indicating that she was speaking, but despite his best efforts, he could not hear what this strange girl was saying. But … what was this feeling? It was warm and comforting, like being wrapped in a warm blanket sitting by a fire after just being out in the cold. It actually felt a lot like Kagome's priestess powers but … different, he didn't know how; he just knew that it was, which belong to a typical InuYasha line of thinking.

The hanyou paused when she just held her hand out for him with a smile, almost as if saying that it was alright, that everything was going to be fine. InuYasha didn't want to, Lord knows he didn't want to, but his body wasn't listening to him and his clawed hand was embraced in her … non-clawed hand? What the hell? The loud, brash half demon snapped out of his haze, jumping to his feet as if he wasn't injured at all and … paused. His clothes still had blood on them but … there were no wounds. Shoving that away for later examination, InuYasha grabbed Tetsaiga and pointed it at her with a growl.

"Who the hell are you?!" He demanded. Pausing for a second time, this time he took notice of her strange clothes that … looked one hell of a lot of what Kagome would wear back when she was still going to her time to go to her 'school'. The only difference was that it wasn't the white and green color combo he had been used to seeing and it appeared to be a brown dress with a brown and pink blazer and the hem line was still short, just not outrageously.

The girl held her hands out in front of her, signalling that she came in peace, bright blue eyes sparkling prettily. "I'll tell you that as soon as we get back to the castle and speak with Lady Kagome. I expect that you have some questions that you would like answers for as well." InuYasha paused for a third time. At first he was curious about her then wary then curious again but now he was just outright confused.

With a frown, InuYasha walked right up to the girl, watching her blink a few times, probably feeling a little confused herself. Lifting a hand up, the hanyou's eyes never left the strange girl; ever. Then, he did what no one would ever expect InuYasha to do – he flicked her, right on the nose.

The shock of the inu hanyou coming so close to her and the shock of having been flicked caused the strange girl – as the hanyou had so nicely named her inside his mind – to stumble back, landing on her bottom in the snow. "That hurt, you jerk! And here I was trying to help you!" Getting up quickly, it was quite evident that she was angry; very angry. The look in her eyes was a look InuYasha was all too familiar with and he instinctively took a few precautionary steps back, away from the girl.

"Sit boy!" With a mangled cry of surprise, the hanyou was sent face-down in the snow. "That's the last time I help you! I'll find the castle by myself even if it takes all night!" With that, she stomped in a random direction she prayed was the right one. InuYasha managed to pull his head up to watch her walking away. Just who the hell was that girl and how the hell had she been able to sit him?

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"And she freaking sat me!" The hanyou finished, looking into the confused eyes of his longest and probably first friend. Kagome frowned, tilting her head to the side, not looking at all worried, which made InuYasha narrow his eyes at her.

"Are you even listening to me, Kagome?" The girl blinked and smiled at her friend. "Oh, InuYasha, when did you get here?" The half demon fell over, literally, as in he was on the ground, twitching every so often as if she had just sat him. The girl had to cover her mouth to avoid breaking out in a fit of giggles. She had heard him, every last colourful word but the temptation to toy with him was just too great at that moment.

"Are you outta your god damn mind?!" InuYasha demanded loudly and Kagome burst into laughter at that moment. "I'm sorry, InuYasha, I couldn't help it." The inu hanyou's growl fell on deaf ears as Kagome turned more serious, though she was much more concerned about something other than the fact that some strange girl was able to 'sit' her half demon brother-in-law. No, her concern was rightfully placed somewhere else altogether. Concern for her youngest son that been taken by those girls, Ijin and Monto and the resemblance that InuYasha had informed her of. Concern had also been placed in the fact that no one had heard of these girls or where they came from until today. The fact that the one girl, Ijin, as InuYasha said her name was, had been able to defeat InuYasha, a feat that had been deemed near impossible, ranking him up there with Sesshomaru in terms of power.

"Are you sure that they didn't give you other any information as to where they were taking him?" InuYasha shook his head, his mood changing with the seriousness of the conversation. The pair fell into silence and Kagome looked to her slumbering Sesshomaru. Ever since Kin had disappeared, everything seemed to be rapidly going downhill and, so far, the golden haired girl had been at the centre of the problems as of late.

A whisper of power flitted across Kagome's skin, sending her miko senses tingling. A flittering image of gold and brown flashed across her vision and she turned to the door to see the very girl InuYasha had been describing. Rising to feet to protect her venerable mate from any harm that may came his way, Kagome couldn't help but get the feeling of de ja vu. Before she could get a word in edge-wise, the girl with very modern or futuristic –depending on the way you looked at it- launched herself at Kagome happily.

The party which now consisted of all her children minus a currently MIA hanyou, a retired demon slayer and a not-so-retired perverted monk, watched the scene play out with curiosity. Slowly, Kagome brought her hands to the girl's shoulders, gently pushing her back. If you took away her fox youkai qualities then she really would look like a normal girl in the time that Kagome used to consider normal before she pulled down a magic well when she was only fifteen.

"Do … we know each other?" Blue eyes blinked and she smacked herself lightly on the forehead. "Geez, how could I be so stupid? Of course you don't know me, at least not yet." Jumping back, the girl straightened smoothed her uniform. Bowing low in greeting, she smiled at Kagome brightly. "I am Mitsukai, daughter of Shippo and Beppin, granddaughter of Lady Kagome and Lord Sesshomaru. I attend Mizuho Nogei High School and I am fifteen, in the ninth grade and I was born on July fifteenth." Everyone that was in the room stared at her as if she'd just grown two heads.

Kagome lifted her eyes from the girl that, most certainly, looked much like her adopted son who only shook his head wildly, a clear indication that he had no idea what the girl was talking about. Kagome rested her eyes on the smiling girl in front of her that proceeded to tell them that every one called her 'Mii-chan'.

"Mitsukai-san?" The golden haired, blue eyed girl turned around and smiled at the retried demon slayer. "Oh, wow, Aunt Sango, you really haven't aged a day since I last saw you! And … Uncle Miroku, Aunt Rin, Uncle Kasei, Aunt Takara and … well, everyone's here except for Uncle Katsu and my mom, of course." She said happily, as if the fact that her mother wasn't present at the moment was an obvious fact for everyone there.

"Girl, if you are not willing to explain why you are here then I will advise you to go back to where you came from." A gruff and slightly cranky male voice said from behind Kagome. Everyone gasped lightly, well, except for the person that was, clearly, not bothered by the suggestion that was really a command. She leaned around Kagome and smiled, waving lightly. "Hi Grandpa."

Despite everyone's best effort, they could not get past the hilarity of Sesshomaru being addressed as 'Grandpa' because even the children that had been adopted did not refer to the great demon lord as 'Grandpa'. A gasp could be heard from the girl when she spun around, her eyes lighting up and her hands covered her mouth at the sight of the figure that walked through the door. Toga had to take an involuntary step back when "Mii-chan" completely invaded his personal space.

"Oh my God …" Her blue eyes sparkled as she looked up at the demon that towered over her. "It's really him, I mean, you, I mean … it's really the great Dog General, in the flesh … Wow! This is SO COOL! This is like the coolest thing that has happened to me today. Aside from falling down the well at great-grandma's shrine." She added in a casual voice, her eyes still locked on the Dog General that was before her.

Toga blinked at the girl, clearly uncomfortable with the proximity of said girl. His eyes lifted to his daughter-in-law, silently begging her to help him.

"Ah, Mitsukai-san," Kagome began, earning the girl's attention, "I'm not sure I understand what you're saying." She pressed on when the girl nodded. "None of what has happened for you has even happened here and won't happen for another 500 years." Mii-chan blinked at her grandmother a few times. "Oh, I know that."

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A while later, everyone was sitting in the same room that Kagome had been in for the past two days, watching over her now awake mate, most with cups of tea between their hands. Kagome sighed lightly, her head slightly spinning with all the new information the girl possessed.

"Alright, so we've established that the strange wench is from Kagome's time and she's attending that 'school' thing Kagome was always babbling about." InuYasha stated, not noticing the two annoyed glares that he received in result of his comment.

"Sit boy!" Two voices shouted at the same time, causing everyone to become silent, just staring between the two females. Kagome blinked and shook her head lightly, thinking she was just hearing things. Pushing herself to think past what had just happened; Kagome turned her sights back on the newcomer, who was, apparently, her granddaughter from her time.

"So, how is it that you came to … well … be, exactly?" Mii-chan blinked a light blush on her cheeks and she laughed nervously, scratching her cheek lightly, finding the floor in front of her very interesting. "Well, they teach you about it in Sex Ed class but it's never very comfortable talking about your parents … doing what … they teach you … in the class …" The females in the room blushed and Kagome cleared her throat. "I didn't mean it in THAT way, Mitsukai-san." The girl with the golden tresses blinked and then blushed … deeply, her mouth forming a little 'oh'.

Once the embarrassment had passed, Mitsukai sighed deeply and looked into the faces of her relatives, not feeling at all out of place. "How in the world did you manage to get here? And doesn't anyone else find it a little weird that she's from the exact school that me, Kasei and our own mother went to?" Everyone's eyes, including Mitsukai's were drawn to the half demon with dark raven tresses and dog ears, the squeal that interrupted the silence was almost as ear piercing as the silence itself.

"Oooh … Aunt Takara, can I pet your ears? Please?" The look the blue eyed girl received rivalled one of her father's own ice glares though it went completely unnoticed, her brothers and her uncle bursting out laughing at the comparison, the rest of her family, excluding her father, wasn't fairing much better. One glance around the room told her exactly what she already knew; no one was going to help her and locking gazes with the girl in front of her just broke her resolve. With a sigh, she crossed her arms and let out a gruff, "fine". The girl squealed again and began attacking the soft ears with her fingers.

After everyone had calmed and Mitsukai had calmed her need to pet her aunt and both her uncle's ears, their attention was back on her. She sighed, figuring it was time to reveal why she was here and how and, well, any other questions they surely had.

"Alright, I'll start from the beginning. I'm not supposed to be here and I'll probably get into a lot of trouble for being here and interrupting the time flow of this world but I'll get to that later. By the way, Grandma, you were off by another 500 years. I'm not from your time, but 500 years after that and while people like me exist, it is generally not known to regular humans, especially not from outside the Royal Family." Anyone who hadn't been listening to the golden haired girl was certainly listening now.

"Royal Family?" Kagome echoed. Mitsukai blinked and then moaned loudly, pulling at her hair. "Oh man! I've totally said too much already! Just … forget I said anything about that, alright?" Attentions turned to a red clad inu hanyou who growled. "I don't think so, brat! You've already given us so many questions that we can't answer on our own so start talking and don't even think of leaving anything out!" A short staring contest ensured before Mitsukai crossed her arms with a 'humph', facing away from her half demon uncle.

"Fine but don't go blaming me if your times gets all messed up because you all know what you're not suppose to know." She stated, though resigned herself to the fact that this was most likely going to come back to haunt her.

"We are all part of the Royal Family of Japan because Grandma and Grandpa are the Emperor and Empress and they currently rule all of Japan but reside in Tokyo, at great-grandma's shrine. It has expanded a lot since you and Uncle InuYasha, Uncle Kasei, Aunt Takara and Uncle Katsu and, of course, my dad, have seen it last. Well, in my time, at least." She continued, addressing Kagome. The girl looked at the other girl curiously, more than a little surprised to hear that the family shrine was still standing, even a thousand years in the future. That last thought made Kagome pause and she regarded the girl. She was saying grandma and grandpa and …

"Mitsukai, who is your great-grandmother?" Kagome asked, watching the girl's 'as-if-you-don't-know' expression but smiled when she just sighed, complying with her question. "Well, I've always known her as great-grandma but I've heard grandpa address her as Mya and since the shrine that is still on the property is sometimes known as the Higurashi Family shrine, I am assuming she would be Mya Higurashi."

"And she's still alive in your time. Mitsukai-san?" Sango asked the girl gently, unsure of her moods. Golden tresses flowed at her confirming nod, causing everyone in the room who understood what they were talking about to frown.

"Would you mind explaining to us how that is possible?" Kagome asked gently. Another sigh came from the girl but she could only smile softly. One look at her grandmother made most of her irritation fade and though she sighed, yet again, she went on to answer the questions being tossed at her. "It's because you're mated to grandpa and because that annoying fairy gave you demon qualities though the weird thing is that you still look human."

"Well, we know that Kagome's life has been greatly extended, if not made as immortal as any other demon of Sesshomaru and Toga's calibre but what does that have to do with her mother and making her live so long?" Sango questioned. Mitsukai rolled her eyes as if the answer was so obvious, even a baby could figure it out. "Because she is grandma's mom and, therefore, are of the same blood."

"Interesting, very interesting." A male voice spoke and everyone turned to Miroku. "We were all aware of the effects mating with a demon or even a half demon would have on the human said demon or half demon was mated to but were all quite unaware of the effects it had on the human's family. Now, Mitsukai-san, you spoke of us like you had only recently seen us so, are you implying that we too are alive in your time?" She nodded and Miroku frowned.

"How is it that, since Rin, Sango and I are all fully human, carry no traces of demon blood in our veins, that we are also a part of your future?" Blue eyes blinked as if she had just been asked what the answer to one plus one was. "Because of the jewel." A hushed silence fell upon the room and a chill ran up Kagome's spine. So even a thousand years in the future, the Shikon Jewel still haunted her and her family and friends? Everyone heard a growl and, to their disbelief, the very same youkai that had been in a coma as a human for the past two days was standing front of the very strangely dressed new comer and was clearly very irritated. What they didn't notice, however, was the robe that the Lord wore was open, exposing himself in all his male glory.

Mitsukai's face turned beet red and she instantly found her hands extremely entertaining and enlightening. Sesshomaru growled low, grabbing the girl roughly by the chin. No one dared disrespect him in such a manner as she already had, well, aside from his mate had done countless times during her travels with his brother and their companions. "You WILL look at me, girl." She narrowed her eyes, not taking orders lightly. "Well, I WOULD if you would close your robe! And my name is not 'girl'! It's Mitsukai! Mit-Su-Kai!" InuYasha couldn't keep from bursting out into laughter and was rolling on the round, roaring with it while Kagome flushed a deep red.

"H-hey, Kagome are you sure she isn't your daughter from the future or something?" InuYasha asked between bouts of laughter. "I always knew those words would come back to haunt you!" Kagome's blush deepened, as did her embarrassment. Well, at least she knew where the familiar sense of that had been radiating off the girl since she got there came from. With a resigned sigh, Kagome gently pried her mate away from the staring contest he was having with the new girl, leading him back to the bed though he certainly didn't go willingly or without complaining. Honestly! He could be worse than InuYasha at times!

Kagome sighed, a tiny bit frustrated at all the interruptions and sat down, taking a sip of her tea to calm herself. Setting the cup down, she looked to the girl, deciding it was time for a bit more aggressive line of questioning. "Alright, Mitsukai-san, let's continue with how you were able to get down the well in the first place." The girl blinked her blue eyes and then smiled.

"Oh, that's easy. When I was born, I was really small and really weak and I died. None of the doctors could help me, even with all of our advanced medical technology. My parents were so heartbroken and so sad that you couldn't help but try something a little radical and you gave me part of you, including some of your priestess powers. My body reacted by turning me human for a little while then one day my parents woke up and I looked like how I look now, well, except more like a baby." Everyone was silent at her ghostly tale; even Sesshomaru who had been silently cursing her had become placid. "I was so little that I don't remember any of it but my parents told me about it when I grew up more. Anyway, because I am connected to Grandma and Grandma is connected to the jewel, we can all travel through the well."

"Speaking of the jewel," Sango began earning the girl's, who was currently being questioned or interrogated – again depending on how you looked at it – attention. "What has become of it? You speak of it as though it still exists in your time." Mitsukai nodded. "It does and … it doesn't. Grandma has the completed jewel around her neck on a pretty little chain, even though it's pretty much harmless now, she says that she wears it to remind her of everything she fought her when she was my age."

A finger rested on her cheek as the owner of the golden tresses frowned lightly, obviously thinking. "I used to not understand that but I think I can now because I'm older." Everyone sweat dropped, thinking the same thing; man, she really babbles.

"What do you mean by 'pretty much harmless'?" One of the few people that hadn't spoke the entire time, questioned and everyone looked to a spitting image of the killing perfection only with dog ears. The question caused her ponder again before responding.

"Well, as far as I know, the jewel still contains its original power but it doesn't call to demons anymore. I don't know why, though, no one tells me much since they want me to have as much of a normal teenage life as I can, being a princess and all. A time travelling princess, now." She added with a bright smile. "Then how do you know as much as you have told us?" Kagome asked curiously, watching the girl smile. "Eavesdropping."

Kagome couldn't help but giggle. "Sounds like Shippo alright."

Once the laughter had subsided, a silence stretched between the large group, sitting in the chambers of the lord and lady, as they sipped their tea quietly. A shrill noise broke the silence, causing the new girl of obviously demon heritage to jump, dropping her still hot tea on her lap in the process.

Jumping up, Mii-chan aka Mitsukai dug into her school bag, producing a small gadget that was apparently the source for the loud noise. All those unfamiliar with the gadget stared at it as she flipped it open.

"Hai, you've reached Mii-chan." She stated cheerfully before holding the phone out at arms length while another shrill noise erupted from said phone.

"Mii-chan! Where are you?! Are you okay?! You're not hurt, are you?! You've been missing for two whole days!" Mitsukai winced and gave a nervous chuckle. "I'm alright mom and, don't worry, no one has kidnapped me or anything and … I'm actually closer than you think …" There was a pause and then a sigh.

"What have you done now?" Kagome smiled, recognizing the tone that every mother used at least once a week with their children.

Mitsukai smiled sheepishly, almost as if the person on the end of the strange object could see her. "Well … I kind of … fell down the well …" Silence filled the room before the girl's blue eyes blinked and she looked at the object with a sigh. "Great … my phones dead. Maybe I have a spare battery in my bag …" She proceeded to rummage through her bag with her tongue sticking out. Her search apparently came up empty because she sighed yet again.

"Well, at least she can't yell at you now, Mii-Chan." A tiny voice said from her shoulder. Mitsukai blinked and lifted up her hair, revealing a tiny figure with large amber eyes, light brown hair pulled into a ponytail and a set of orange cat ears nested atop her head. Everyone stared at the tiny figure wearing what they could only describe as a cream coloured ballerina tutu. Large, almost transparent cream and green wings that were taller than the figure herself fluttered lightly behind her.

"It's still a bad idea that we're even here in the first place!" Another voice chirped up from her other shoulder. A pinkish purple head with pointed ears and matching eyes became visible and settling herself on the much larger girl's shoulder. Her outfit, though it was rather simple, was quite pretty. A short flowing dress barely covering her assets tied in large bows at her shoulders. White arm socks that matched the dress and a pair of white slippers that laced up her legs accented the outfit. Like the smaller figure, she also had wings though they were not transparent, they were still beautiful with soft tones of pastel green and blue ran the length of the wings that shaped an 'X' behind her.

Kagome blinked and leaned forward. "Are those … real fairies?" Everyone leaned in, curious about the two little figures that were perched on Mitsukai's shoulders. The two magical figures looked at the large amount of faces and though the, obviously, older one only recoiled slightly; the younger one was a different matter entirely.

"Ahh! Scary! Scary!" In a matter of seconds, the smaller fairy was hiding in the golden tresses of the one she called Mii-Chan. Said girl just gave a nervous chuckle, sweat dropping lightly, thinking of the lecture she would be receiving now, especially after revealing yet another thing that they weren't suppose to know about – her guardian fairies.

"These are some really life like toys." Takara said in awe, moving her finger to poke the older fairy, only to recall her finger in pain. The older fairy was holding a pink and red wand with a heart shaped handle and angel wings adorning the base and a jewel adorning the tip.

"I don't care who you are but I assure you that we are not toys." She all but snarled. Mitsukai's mouth fell open. "Saori!" She exclaimed with horror before a whimper caught her attention and she turned her head to her other shoulder, with a light chuckle. "It's alright, Ume, you don't need to be scared." She only sighed as questions bombarded her again. It was going to be a LONG day.

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Once everyone had settled further back, the two fairies seemed to settle down, though the majority of the group still had yet to recover from the shock. Mitsukai cleared her throat and held out her hands, the two girls jumping down onto her palms.

"Go ahead and introduce yourselves." With an encouraging nod, the oldest fairy sighed but shook her head slightly before lowering herself into a graceful bow.

"How do you do? My name is Saori and I am Mitsukai's Guardian Fairy." Everyone let out a round of 'ooh's, followed by impressed clapping. The youngest scampered back up into Mitsukai's hair, only her impossibly large amber eyes visible.

"Ume, it's your turn." The smaller fairy shook her head, shrinking back slightly. With a sigh, Mitsukai lifted her hair, catching the little fairy just as she gave a squeak and made a dive for the protection of the golden tresses.

"Now, it's your turn, Ume." The little fairy sighed in resignation and gave a bow, though it was not nearly as graceful as the other fairy's. "I am Ume and I am Mii-Chan's Guardian Fairy, too."

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**A/N:**** Wow … I finally finished this chapter and it only took me like two weeks xD Well, anyways, I hope everyone liked this chapter, I made it extra long and I hope you all like my little creations.**

**I apologize for lack of romance in this chapter and even though I was planning on ending the fic on the 40****th**** chapter, I don't think I'm going to be able to now, especially with everything I've just added in this one chapter.**

**I would like to thank: ****condorfan**** and ****Fabulous Georgina**** for their reviews on chapter 37.**

**I would also like to take this time to let everyone know that I tried hard to include everyone in this chapter but even with 10 pages, I still couldn't get everyone in. I'm sorry for that!**

**Until next time, though.**

**Later days!**


	39. On the Horizon

**Chapter Thirty Nine**

**On the Horizon**

**Disclaimer:**** Even though I don****'****t own InuYasha, it will always hold a special place in my heart.**

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Kagome paused in the doorway of the dining hall, carrying one of her second set of twins with Sesshomaru and the other twin beside her. She blinked a few times just to make sure she was really seeing what she was seeing. The image presented to her reminded her that the previous day did, indeed, happen.

Mitsukai was sitting at the grand table in a pair of soft pink pajamas that Kagome had leant her and she had been quite pleased to find paw prints randomly placed all over the fabric. Her hair was still slightly messy from her previous night's sleep but it didn't seem to bother the girl in the slightest. She shovelled pancakes topped with berries and real maple syrup into her mouth, munching happily, her approval of the tastiest meal she had ever eaten clearly displayed on her face.

While most of the eyes were set on the girl before them, many young sets of eyes were set on the much smaller figures that sat upon the table, munching on berries and little bits of pancake. Two golden ones and three brown ones watched the fairies with interest, ignoring their own meals that had been set out in front of them.

"FAIRIES!!" The word was shouted like a battle cry and all five children clambered up onto the table, making a beeline for the two magical figures. Saori and Ume instantly dropped their berries and flew as fast as their wings could take them, desperately trying to shake their pursuers and flying directly towards Kagome and Sesshomaru. Despite the commotion, Mitsukai simply lifted her plate out of trampling way and continued to eat her delicious breakfast.

The children, however, could not be easily swayed from their goal as the five of them ran head on for the lord and lady of the castle, proceeding to run a few circles around the pair, chasing the frightened fairies. As the group made their way back towards the table, the parents of the children acted together as if they had been rehearsing it.

InuYasha grabbed his two, Takara grabbed Haku and Sango grabbed one of her and Miroku's two children while Miroku snatched up the other, all five children being settled into their chairs again. The fairies paused and cautiously made their way back to their mistress, settling down on her shoulders.

Saori put a hand to her chest lightly, attempting to catch her breath while her younger counterpart hid in the girl's golden tresses. "Goodness … you would think that they had never seen a fairy before. What poorly behaved children!" Mitsukai laughed lightly, handing a piece of strawberry to the ruffled fairy.

"They're only kids, Saori and family." The fairy just shook her head, gratefully taking the piece of strawberry that was offered. "But they chase us, Mii-Chan." The younger fairy, Ume, whined from her hair. Mitsukai smiled at her, gently rubbing her head with a fingertip. "They're still only kids, Ume."

"Ume is a kid, too!" The tiny girl squeaked out and Mitsukai could only sigh. It was going to be an even longer day than yesterday was.

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Kasei stood proud on the castle roof, wearing the same outfit that his father, his sword in its sheath at his side. His chocolate brown orbs were closed and he had lifted his nose to the on coming wind. His senses tingled as he could see the dark, almost black clouds that held much snow and hear the trees groan as the cold began creeping up on them. Something else was in the air, something he couldn't name but it smelt … evil. Not that evil had a smell exactly but the strange scent lingered in his mind and rested heavily onto his body, almost making him want to growl but he held it back.

A silver dog ear swivelled as he heard footsteps and dark blue eyes settled onto the figure of her mate as long brown tresses moved silently with every step. Ai couldn't believe how much Kasei had adapted to the role of future Lord of the West and now, if it wasn't for the obvious lack of markings and the dog ears then if one saw him from the back, they would believe they were seeing the current Lord of the West. Stepping up to stand beside him, Ai took in the grand landscape that had been lain out before them.

The two were silent for a long while until a whimper reached their ears. Kasei turned to his beautiful mate who was holding a bundle wrapped in a warm brown wool blanket. Another whimper could be heard and the bundle squirmed lightly as a smile reached Kasei's face.

Taking the bundle from his mate, the future taiyoukai moved part of the blanket, exposing the blue eyes and long silky silver hair of his son. "Takakau." Kasei called softly, stilling the infant as he looked up at his father. After a few minutes of father and son looking at each other, Kasei gathered him close, squeezing his eyes shut. This could be the last time he saw this son … and Ai, his beautiful mate.

Many floors below them, InuYasha sat in front of a fire place in his and his mate's room, watching his two girls color. He turned his clawed hand and laced his fingers with those of his mate, Yuri, worry beginning to bubble up inside him at the very real possibility that he could never be with his mate and children again. InuYasha sighed quietly, desperately trying to shake the feeling of impending doom.

Yuri smiled softly at her mate, taking his hand and placing it on her swollen stomach when their pup kicked. Green eyes looked into golden ones and she gave his hand a squeeze before looking to their two previous children. "Ran, Miki." She called as two purple heads with identical golden eyes looked up at them. The two girls scampered over to their parents and were set between the two adults. They looked at each other before looking at each of their parents, wondering just what was going on in their home.

"Girls, I … have to go away for a little while." InuYasha told them quietly, surprisingly earning the twins' attention. "I don't know when I'll be coming back so you two need to help your mother out, especially with the new pup comes." They nodded and InuYasha's heart broke but he forced himself to smile. If he didn't make it back then he wanted the last memory his girl's had of him to be a happy one, one where he was smiling, possibly for the last time.

On the other side of the castle, Sango had just finished putting on her old demon slayer uniform and now had her Hiraikotsu slung over her shoulder. The demon slayer looked into the eyes of her oldest son, Aki and then her oldest daughter, Cho and hugged them both not one of the three able to say anything as they were all fully aware that this could be the last time the two teenagers saw their parents alive.

"If anything happens, I want you two to take good care of Daichi and Akemi." Sango said quietly, her voice wavering as tears pricked her eyelids. Cho and Aki nodded solemnly as they watched their mother crouch down to their little brother and sister. Sango smiled sadly, the thought of leaving her babies and possibly never seeing them again tore at her but she still smiled. "I want you two to be good for your big brother and sister while we're away, okay? Promise?" The younger two looked at each other and then nodded. They didn't know what was going on but they could tell that it wasn't good.

Takara smiled as she crouched down in front of her adopted son, Haku who was desperately trying to hold back his sobs even as tears streamed down his cheeks. Gently, she placed a hand on his head, her own heart breaking. This was the hardest thing she had ever had to do in her whole life.

"Come now, Haku, dry your tears. You have to be strong for the younger kids. Can you do that for me?" Haku's breath hitched and his shoulders heaved as he sniffled several times, wiping away his tears with both hands, finally managing a nod. Takara's smile faded and she gathered the boy up, fighting back tears of her own as she held onto the sobbing child. Unlike the rest of the kids, Haku knew that he may never see his adopted mother again.

Setting him down, Takara smiled again and kissed the top of his head. "Be a good boy until I come back and remember that I love you." Rising to her feet, she hugged her mother, easily smelling the salt of her tears. "Be safe. I love you." Kagome whispered as she released her daughter and went to comfort Haku with the infant that her daughter had adopted such a short time ago in her arms.

Kagome looked into the golden eyes of her mate just before he turned, leading her towards the main gate where everyone was waiting. She turned her eyes onto the blue eyes of the newest time travelling arrival and hugged her as well. Mitsukai smiled sadly, her hand lingering in Kagome's for a moment.

"Good bye, Grandma, I hope we'll meet again." With that final statement, the golden haired girl jogged lightly to catch up with the two departing figures heading for the gates. "Do you think that we'll be able to see everyone again?" Ume asked from Mitsukai's shoulder. The golden haired girl was silent for a while before she smiled. "Yeah, we'll see everyone again."

_At least … I hope so_, Mitsukai thought as she looked at the darkening sky that loomed over them and the castle that was slowly getting smaller as they started their journey, a journey which none of them may ever return from.

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Golden eyes opened slowly and they looked around the dark room, adjusting to the darkness with each passing second until he could make out a figure standing against the wall on the opposite side of the room.

"So you're finally awake." A deep, silky smooth voice said. Katsu shivered at the sound of the voice and stared hard at the figure but despite his efforts, he could only make out the outline of a baboon mask and pelt.

"Wh-who are you?" Katsu asked as he peered into the darkness. A low chuckle reached his ears and he had to fight back the panic that bubbled up in him at the sound of that laugh. A familiar scent wafted to his nose and his golden eyes widened. "Kin! Where's Kin?! What have you done to her?!" He demanded, jumping to his feet.

That same dark chuckle had him taking a step back and he watched as the figure moved his hand out from his baboon pelt. The light shifted and Katsu couldn't help the gasp that escaped his lips at the sight of his golden haired friend. She had a collar around her neck attached to a thick chain and her golden amber eyes were dull and lifeless as she just sat next to the figure in a baboon pelt.

"What have you done to Kin, you bastard?!" Katsu demanded. Again, the dark chuckle reached his ears and he growled this time, lunging at him only to hit a barrier and be thrown across the room. Pain coursed through his small body as he pushed himself up off the floor.

The dark chuckle turned out into a full out laugh as he gently pet Kin's hair. "Patience, puppy, patience." With another wave of his hand, Kin's eyes returned to normal and the girl blinked, looking around. Her eyes widened at the scent that reached her nose and she looked at Katsu, her heart beginning to pound in her chest. She flinched when he lunged towards her but was sent flying backwards again. To her horror, he didn't jump right back onto his feet like usual and she instantly knew that he was injured.

"Katsu!" She cried out, taking off towards him. Kin stopped in her tracks, screaming in pain as the chain vibrated, sending what looked like sparks of electricity that wrapped around her body. The chain ceased its vibration and Kin slumped to the floor, her body limp and unmoving.

Katsu's eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat as he rushed to her side, gently picking up her limp body and holding it against his. "Kin." He whispered, his eyes searching for any kind of movement.

Slowly Kin's eyes fluttered open and Katsu let out a sigh of relief and he couldn't help himself as he hugged her to his body. "What … are you doing here?" She asked him quietly, her voice hoarse. Katsu smiled at her softly, running a clawed hand through her golden hair.

"I came to save you." Kin's eyes widened as she stared into the golden ones that she had fallen so in love with. After a moment, she looked away, pushing herself away from him and to her feet.

"I don't need you to save me, half breed." She spat out, watching his eyes fill with confusion and hurt. The words she spoke to him hurt her just as much as much as it hurt him. Fighting the urge to just give in and apologize, Kin turned her back to him so she wouldn't see the hurt in his eyes.

"Kin … what are you saying?" Katsu asked in a whisper, his heart constricting at her painful words. He gently put a hand on her shoulder, only to have it slapped away. "I'm saying that I don't need help from some pathetic half demon that can't even protect himself." Kin told him, her eyes hard as she fought her inward battle.

"Why are you saying those things? I thought we were friends." _We are friends_, she thought with bitter sadness, _but if I don't do this then Master will hurt you because he hurts everyone I care about._

"Well then you thought wrong. Now, get the hell out of my way, half demon." Kin ground out, shoving him aside and walking out of the dark room, through the open door, followed by her master as he laughed at the boy's pain.

"Well done, my pet, well done. You really cut him down." He said as a hand gently pet her hair, his laughter making her want to throw up. Kin stole a glance at the broken hanyou, her ears and her heart falling as she obediently followed the evil man she called Master.

_I'm sorry, Katsu. I'm so sorry …_

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Black hair cascaded down his back and his pale features were highlighted by the days pale sun, red eyes looking into a mirror held by a girl wearing white, her eyes dark and completely void of life contrasting with her white hair and flower.

A deep purple glow emanated from the open palm of the deathly pale man and he chuckled low, the glow beginning to get stronger. "You are calling out to your other half, aren't you? Well, do not fret, you will be whole once again and then I shall absorb you. Once you and I are one, my precious, I will be the strongest being in all of Japan." He watched the image of the famous Inu brothers with the demon slayer, monk and the annoying little fox kit that was all grown up. Curiosity filled him as he spotted what could only be Sesshomaru's offspring and what looked to be an older version of his little pet.

"Look, my pet." He crooned as he yanked on the chain, bringing Kin to his lap. "It is you in the mirror." His fingers raked through the young girl's hair and she had to suppress a shiver as she felt his tongue on her ear. "I will take her for my bride." He declared, his hand moving through Kin's golden locks, his mouth close enough to her ear that she could feel his hot breath on her.

"Kagura." He called to the darkness. A demon woman with jet black hair, holding a fan appeared before them. The man before her released the collar that was a round the girl's neck and she watched him with hatred burning in her red eyes.

"Take her and have the girls welcome our guests." Kagura nodded once, picking up Kin by the back of her clothes with ease. "Yes, Master Oujou."

InuYasha had to stop in his tracks and cover his nose with his sleeve, coughing a few times. Looking around, he saw that the others weren't doing much better. Suddenly, he heard a shriek and spun around to look at Sango and Miroku, his eyes widening as he stared in disbelief.

"Miroku! Your hand!" Sango exclaimed, fear filling her body as the wind began picking up. Miroku looked down at his right hand, his body beginning to shake as a black void began forming in the palm.

InuYasha growled and shifted the girl that was on his back and grabbed Sango, digging Tetsaiga firmly into the ground and holding on for dear life, the wind whipping his clothes and hair around violently.

"Miroku! Close your hand! Put the beads on your hand!" InuYasha ordered. Miroku strained, holding his wrist as he desperately trying to comply. Precious minutes ticked by as the hole only got bigger and it was slowly beginning to drag everyone towards the hole that threatened to engulf the entire party.

Mitsukai had to grit her teeth against the fierce wind and her knuckles were turning white because she was hanging onto InuYasha so tightly. "This wasn't suppose to happen!" Saori shouted. "We're going to get sucked in, Mii-Chan!" Ume cried in terror, clinging to the girl's hair. The little fairy's grip loosened and she shrieked as the winds began carrying her towards Miroku's Wind Tunnel.

"Gotcha!" Mitsukai shouted, bringing her hand that enclosed the tiny fairy to her body. Ume looked up and spotted the chain that was around Mitsukai's neck.

"The chain! Mii-Chan, you can use the chain!" The girl blinked and her hand went to the necklace that she had gotten for her birthday and ripped it off her neck with a quick snap, holding it up to Saori.

"Enchant it!" The fairy looked at the necklace with wide eyes. "But that was a birthday present from your mother!" She cried, only to have it shoved at her again.

"I don't care! Do it, Saori! We don't have much time and Miroku can't do it on his own!" Saori looked at the necklace, hesitation clear on her face. "DO IT!" Mitsukai commanded and Saori nodded, putting her tiny hands on the necklace. Her lips moved but no one could hear what she was saying. Finally, the fairy looked up and nodded at the girl. "It's ready." Mitsukai nodded and brought herself up to InuYasha's ears.

"I can close it but I need you to get me more to the side otherwise I'll be sucked in right away!" InuYasha glanced back at the girl, obviously thinking she was crazy. "Are you crazy kid?! You'll get yourself killed!"

Mitsukai grinned. "Trust me! I can do this!" Seeing as she wasn't going to back down, InuYasha only shook his head, slowly beginning to move, straining his muscles against the pull of the Wind Tunnel.

"If I don't make it then tell everyone that I say good bye!" Mitsukai shouted just as she released her grasp on the half demon. InuYasha's eyes went large and he went to grab her hand again and swore when he had to hold onto Tetsaiga or be pulled in.

"I thought you said you could do this!" He shouted to her retreating figure. Mitsukai only smiled before turning her attention to her task at hand. She quickly angled her body and managed to curb her direction, landing next to Miroku. Not wasting any time, she reached out and wrapped the necklace over his hand.

Finally, the fierce winds of the Wind Tunnel were gone and Mitsukai fell to her knees, grabbing her uncle just as he dropped to the ground, handing him over to her aunt as soon as she rushed over. Breathing hard, she put a hand over her heart, willing it to calm down, smiling when her two Fairy Guardians cheered happily.

Looking over everyone, Mitsukai let out a sigh of relief just before a fist came down sharply on her head.

"What'd you do that for, you big meanie?!" She demanded, looking up at a very angry red clad half demon. InuYasha's eye twitched and he couldn't help but growl at her. "What the HELL were you thinking?! You could have gotten yourself sucked in!! Are you like messed in the head or something?!" Mitsukai glared at him but didn't respond. She knew that what she did was risky but it was the only way that could have saved everyone, especially Miroku.

Takara brushed her kimono off and rose to her feet, picking up the sack that she had been carrying. "Let's set up camp for tonight. I imagine that Miroku not only needs to rest after that but we should think of another plan of attack. Now, we need to set up a parameter that will be safe enough for us to spend the night. InuYasha, take the girl with the death wish with you to collect fire wood. Father and Kasei will set up the parameter while Shippo and I will stay here with Sango and Miroku to prevent any further dangers from infiltrating the barrier I will set up."

Mitsukai blinked at her aunt's figure and a shiver ran down her spine when her golden eyes rested on her. InuYasha looked over his niece and decided not to argue about having to be the one to collect firewood, he really didn't want to give her any reason to do something to him that he would regret or possibly not live to tell.

"C'mon, kid, let's go." Mitsukai blinked and then ran after him, annoyance filling her. "Hey! I'm not a kid! You take that back, InuYasha!" Shippo watched the two depart, believing more than he had ever believed that she really was his daughter. The fox demon turned sat down next to Sango who was still holding Miroku and sighed lightly. He turned his head just as his adopted father and brother left to follow his sister's order then his green orbs fell on the girl herself, with her mother's hair and dog ears swivelling about to detect any movement.

She somehow inherited Kagome's priestess powers and it was in harmony with her demon blood. He watched her pull out a sutra and put it on a stick, roughly shoving the stick with the sutra on it into the ground. Magic tingled across his senses as the barrier was erected around them. He watched her closely, spotting the faint telltale signs of strain and sadness on her features and even in her posture and a smile spread out on his face. There was no doubt about it, she was her father's daughter.

"Shippo." Hearing his voice pulled the fox demon from his thoughts and he looked into her golden orbs that, if you knew how to look, held so much sadness and fear. He could tell that she was barely holding herself together, probably by the thought that she had to be the leader of their group, especially since her mother wasn't there.

Getting up silently, his fox tail moved as he walked towards the girl and reached out, drawing her to him, offering her comfort without words and she took it, she took the comfort without words.

"I'm so scared." She whispered, the statement going unheard by human ears as not to worry the two that were in their presence. Shippo just nodded and patted her hair gently. "I know." He told her, equally as quietly. There were no tears shed, she was stronger than that, but though there were no physical tears, the pain and the fear rolled down the girl in waves and he smiled. Takara - she was the perfect balance between Kagome and Sesshomaru.

The two stayed like that until they heard arguing and they parted to see the newest and probably strangest member of their group walking with everyone's favourite hanyou, both carrying an armload of sticks. "I said I was sorry! It just slipped out, okay?!" Mitsukai shouted. InuYasha growled at her.

"Man, you're even more annoying than Kagome! Just shut your trap already!" InuYasha countered. Takara sighed but couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips and Shippo just shook his head. Every time he was convinced that the girl was, indeed, his daughter from the future, something like this would happen and he couldn't help but think of Kagome.

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Once everything had been taken care of, the group sat around the fire, bowls of thick stew in the laps of everyone excluding the fallen monk that hadn't woken up since the ordeal. It was quiet as Sango drizzled the liquid from the stew down Miroku's throat in an attempt to get some nourishment into his body. The events of the day that would soon be upon them was weighing heavily on everyone's mind. Even the usual noisy and rowdy Guardian Fairies were silent as they ate from Mitsukai's bowl.

"Taijiya." Sesshomaru called, looking over the fire and at the demon slayer. Sango looked from her husband to Sesshomaru, meeting his gaze. "That was the monk's Wind Tunnel, correct?" She nodded. "Was not the curse lifted when Naraku was destroyed?" His answer was a nod. "Then why should we be plighted with this curse again? It has been my knowledge that Naraku is still quite dead."

"Of course he's dead! I killed him myself!" InuYasha stated with a huff, turning his attention to his meal. "Besides, he would've showed his ugly head sooner than this."

"I agree with InuYasha but … didn't Kagura show up at the castle a while back?" Shippo asked. "Shouldn't Kagura been destroyed as well since she was born of Naraku? She was also there at the final battle, was she not?" The group fell silent once again.

"Where are we headed, anyways?" A quiet voice asked and all eyes fell on Sango. She looked around at everyone when she didn't receive an answer. "So we've just been wandering around all day?"

"Not necessarily." A voice said from Mitsukai's shoulder. Everyone turned to the fairy known as Saori as she appeared to be thinking. "What the hell do you mean by that?" InuYasha demanded, earning the fairy's glare.

"Well, Mitsukai can-"

"Saori!" The girl with the golden hair cut in loudly. "Don't tell them that! They already know too much and we've already disrupted this time way too much as it is!" The fairy stared at the girl, seemingly unaffected by the girl's outburst.

"Don't tell us what?" Sesshomaru asked, sending a shiver down her spine. She smiled, trying to be unaffected by the glare she was receiving and gave a nervous laugh. "It's nothing, really. It's just that I can-"

"Mii-Chan can sense jewel shards!" Ume put in happily, flying just out in front of the girl that was under so much scrutiny at the moment. "It's because Mii-Chan and Kagome-Chan share the same soul. She also has many priestess powers which include Sacred Arrows. This is also because Mii-Chan's mama is a priestess of very special heritage that can be dated almost 500 more years from this time."

"Ume! I'm going to strangle you! No, better yet, I'll flush you down the toilet!" Mitsukai growled, grabbing the tiny fairy. She paused in the strangulation of the tiny fairy in her hands as she felt many eyes on her. Looking up, she came face to face with InuYasha's very angry face.

Laughing nervously, Mitsukai backed up only to run into an equally pissed off demon lord. "You call something like that 'nothing', ya lying wench?" InuYasha asked, cracking his knuckles. The girl swallowed dryly at the anger blazing clearly in the half demons eyes and held up her hands in defence though she had a sneaky suspicion that if the half demon so decided to attack, she probably wouldn't be able to do anything.

"Sit boy!" Everyone paused, their murderous intent vanishing as a certain raven haired girl set down before them, riding on a two tailed cat much like Kirara only the majority of it's fur was black. Mitsukai seized the moment of distraction and quickly hid behind the older girl.

"Honestly, InuYasha, can't you be a little nicer to her?" Kagome asked in an annoyed tone. Sesshomaru stood, dumb founded as he looked upon his mate. "Kagome, what are you …?" He trailed off, unsure of what he was going to demand to know first; why she was there or what the hell she was wearing.

Kagome smiled and spun around. "Isn't it cool? Even after all these years and five kids later, my school uniform still fits." Sesshomaru sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Kagome, what in God's name are you doing here and why are you wearing such an atrocious outfit?" The taiyoukai asked, slightly wearily. Kagome put her hands on her hips, annoyance obvious in her entire posture.

"My outfit isn't atrocious! I happen to like it." She crossed her arms, facing away from them. Sesshomaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "And the reason as to why you're here would be, what, exactly?"

"Well, I couldn't exactly let you guys fight on your own, could I?" Kagome asked with a completely straight face. Sesshomaru rubbed his temples lightly. He loved his mate, loved her more than anything he had ever loved before in his life but there were sometimes when he just wanted to lock her up at home.

"Kagome, I told you to stay at the castle. You just had pups and it's far too dangerous for you to be out here right now." Sesshomaru said slowly. "You could have been hurt on your way here, as well." He added. Kagome smiled at that.

"Oh, I don't think so. After all, I have my very own body guard." She held out a hand and Toga stepped forward, grinning just as much as his mate was. Sesshomaru sighed heavily. Picking his battles was part of what had kept him alive this long and his instincts were telling him quite clearly that he was not going to win this one, no matter what he said.

"And don't worry about who's guarding the castle." Kagome told him with a smile and something told Sesshomaru that he wasn't going to be very pleased with his mate's protection arrangements. "I called in a few favours." She said, grinning like a cat that just ate the canary. Sesshomaru held up a hand.

"I don't want to know, Kagome, I really don't want to know." The group fell into silence as they sat around the fire, now plus two members. That was, until a certain wolf showed up. Sesshomaru looked at his mate, desperately trying to tune out the argument that was conspiring between his brother and the wolf.

Kagome smiled sheepishly. "I thought that we might need a little more help and since Kouga helped us with the final battle with Naraku, I thought he could be an asset for us right now." Sesshomaru's glare could freeze an ocean but, as always, Kagome was completely immune and just kept smiling. After a few minutes, the demon lord just sighed again.

Mitsukai and her two Fairy Guardians watched the exchange between everyone with curiosity, especially with the arrival of three new members, finding the argument between InuYasha and Kouga quite interesting. "I wonder what they're fighting about." Saori murmured, two heads nodding in agreement. "He doesn't look much different now then he does in the future, don't you think?" Mitsukai asked, earning nods from the two fairies that were perched on her shoulders.

"Minus the fur, though." Saori commented.

"And the armour." Ume added.

"Of course his hair is a lot shorter." Mitsukai put in.

Kouga paused in his heated "discussion" he was having with InuYasha and he looked over at the girl with the golden hair. In an instant he was before her and he took her hands in his, staring into her eyes. "You will be my woman."

Mitsukai blinked a few times, processing what he had just said before InuYasha came up and whacked him hard over the head. "You idiot! You already have a mate!"

Kouga twitched lightly, his hands covering the lump on his head before he jumped up, getting face to face with InuYasha yet again. The group only sighed as the pair continued to yell obscenities at each other. A groan caught everyone's attention and they turned to Sango and Miroku, who sat up with help from Sango.

"You could wake the dead with all the noise you two are making." Miroku muttered. Sango smiled and hugged him with tears in her eyes. "Miroku, you're awake." Kagome blinked, going over to the pair, looking at Miroku's hand.

"Are those … prayer breads on your hand, Miroku?" The monk paused in his griping and looked at his hand, the memories of what happened coming back to him. "They're not exactly prayer beads but something similar." A voice beside Kagome said. Three eyes rested on the older of the two Guardian Fairies as she began explaining.

"According to information I have gathered, even though Naraku is dead, the monk's Wind Tunnel suddenly appeared again. Since it has been quite some time since the evil hanyou's demise, it is expected that the monk would no longer require that prayer beads be around his hand because the Wind Tunnel no longer existed. However, it reappeared as soon as we arrived here and the monk could not control it without prayer beads. We … improvised in that aspect."

Kagome looked at the beads that wrapped around her friend's hand and then to the fairy. "So, where did they come from?" Saori motioned to Mitsukai with her hand. "They were a gift from her mother on her fifteenth birthday." Kagome looked to the girl and Mitsukai just smiled.

"It looks like a regular necklace." Kagome said thoughtfully and Saori nodded. "They were, until I enchanted them, thus enabling them to seal the Wind Tunnel. Unfortunately, it took a great toll on the monk's body and he had been unconscious until just now." Kagome looked at the fairy, studying her for a moment before smiling.

"I had no idea that fairies could do those sort of things." The girl admitted.

"Fairies can do TONS of things!" Ume put in with a smile, flying over to float in front of Kagome's face. "Lots and lots of things! We're only Guardian Fairies so our power is limited to protecting but other fairies can to anything from making the trees grow to, well, anything." Kagome smiled at the energetic little fairy, she certainly was a little ball of sunshine.

"What sort of things can you two do?" Kagome asked, her eyes shifting between the two fairies. Ume smiled and held out her hand, a wand appearing in her hand. It was rather small, though it looked like a berry with two leaves where attached to the handle and a gold star was in the centre of a pink circle, two angel wings on opposite sides of the star.

Everyone that could see it blinked curiously at the small wand and Ume turned to Mitsukai who nodded. "Hop, step, jump!" Four white wings appeared on the girl, one for each limb and then she shot into the night sky, higher than even Sesshomaru himself could jump. The group gasped as Mitsukai became a dot in the sky and then dived towards them. Kagome, Sango and Miroku seemed particularly impressed as they had a close up view of the girl that was now floating before them.

"Saori doesn't like using her powers unless it's really needed. She says that if you use it so carelessly then it's just an abuse of power but this is fun!" Kagome laughed at the small fairy's enthusiasm. "What else can you do?" Kagome asked, now even more curious as to see what kind of power the two held.

"That's enough." A voice said, causing everyone to look at the current demon lord. "Tomorrow will be a long and tiring day and we should all be well rested for it." Kagome smiled and got to her feet. "You're right." Going into her yellow backpack that she still had, she pulled sleeping bags out for everyone.

Soon everyone was settled, the only sound that could be heard was the crackling of the fire. Mitsukai looked around the group, noting that mostly everyone was sleeping. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of Kagome sleeping peacefully in the lap of the most feared demon in all of Japan and with his arms around her small frame protectively, it just looked precious.

Sango and Miroku were snuggled against each other with Kirara between them, Shippo was laying on a sleeping bag next to Kasei, InuYasha was leaning up against a tree, surprisingly next to Kouga, Takara was cuddled on a sleeping bag with the other two tailed cat and Toga … was hunkered against a tree only just half a stone's throw away. With an inward sigh, Mitsukai shifted to her back, placing her hands underneath her head as she looked to the moon.

A soft murmur brought her eyes down to the two sleeping fairies that were nestled together on her chest and she couldn't help but smile. At that moment, it was so peaceful, so quiet and so serene, you would never be able to tell that the last battle was just on the horizon. Mitsukai's smile fell at the thought and she looked to the night sky again, hoping to find some reassurance.

True, she had been so excited to fall down the well in her time but now, laying here with all these different times combining, she wondered if maybe it had been the right decision to seek them out. With her being here, it could seriously jeopardize the future and not just her future, but the future of everyone and everything. Mitsukai squeezed her eyes shut, quickly squelching that thought and taking long, deep breaths. Looking up at the moon again, she slowly smiled, shifting her Guardian Fairies to the sleeping bag she was using and rolled to her side.

Everything happens for a reason, she decided, closing her eyes. With a final sigh, Mitsukai from a thousand years into the future, allowed herself to fall asleep.

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**A/N:**** Happy Halloween everyone!**

**Wow, this is my longest chapter yet! A whole 16 pages! Why is it so long, you ask? Well, this is one of the final chapters of this fanfic. Yes, I know, it's sad but it's true.**

**Don't worry though, if I get enough reviews requesting it, I'll probably write a sequel. **

**There were many characters, if not all of them, that were included in this chapter. How did you like the first glimpse of Kasei's son? What a cutie, huh?**

**I don't think I told anyone this but I have to have a certain kind of music playing in order to get the words to flow properly for the scene so practically all day I was listening to some really heavy, evil music, lol. **

**By the way, Kasei's son's name means ****'****fighter'. I looked it up and everything (even though I do that with all the names I use for my characters). And we finally have a name for the evil guy! Hooray! It means ****'****death' (suits him perfectly, don't you think?).**

**Next chapter will be the final battle and, I warn you all now, I am going to kill someone. Can any of you guess who it is? -evil laugh- Ah, I love being evil, it's so much fun. However, I am still not mean enough to bring Naraku back although you might be thinking otherwise once you get to this part, I assure you that Naraku is still very much dead.**

**Now, I would very much like to thank: **

**Fabulous Georgina**

**G2fan**

**For their reviews on chapter 38 (the beginning of the end!).**

**Until next time!**

**Later Days!**


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